Full data ownership with easy import (from Kindle and CSV files) and export options. Use offline, manage with Tags and Collections. Generate and share stunning quote images. Rediscover through full-text search, Widgets & Reminders!
I'm Conan, the creator of Quotes. This is our first time launching on Product Hunt, and I'd love to share the story behind how Quotes came to be.
Words have been my companions since childhood. To me, they've always been these magical little vessels of power, beauty, and wisdom. I've been a devoted collector of words ever since I can remember (though plot twist: I ended up becoming a software maker instead of a writer – but hey, I still keep my reading and writing habits alive!).
Like many collectors, I started the old-school way – notebooks, sticky notes, you name it. But oh boy, did that get messy fast! Lost notebooks during moves, countless frustrated moments digging through pages to find that one perfect quote. I tried going digital, jumped from one solution to another, but nothing quite clicked. So, I did what any slightly obsessed developer would do – I built my own solution! It started as a simple TUI (Terminal User Interface) tool.
When I showed this little creation to my fellow word-loving friends, they got excited... until they realized they had to use the terminal. Not everyone's cup of tea, right? That got me thinking – there must be others out there looking for something similar. Having lived through the golden age of classic Mac apps, I've always had a soft spot for those beautifully crafted, delightful native applications. I dreamed of creating something similar: a refined Mac app dedicated to quick collection, easy organization, and effortless browsing, deeply integrated with the system to bring your favorite words right into your virtual workspace.
Sure, it might not be the next billion-dollar idea, and yes, it's pretty niche. But you know what? We only live once, and some things just need to exist in the world. This reminds me of something Steve Jobs once said:
(Quote Image Generated Using the Quotes App)
Now I’m not claiming Quotes has reached that "wonderful" status yet, but that's what we're aiming for, one feature at a time. After months of designing and building, we've got something that I believe nails the core features I've always wanted:
🔒 Own your data: Local-first approach with multiple export options for complete control
✈️ Offline-friendly: No internet required for full functionality
📥 Easy import: Seamlessly bring in highlights from Kindle, CSV, and more sources
🏷️ Smart organization: Manage your library with Tags, Collections, and Index
🔍 Powerful search: Find any quote with comprehensive full-text search
⏰ Rediscovery tools: Widgets & Reminders bring your favorite quotes back into your day
🖼️ Beautiful sharing: Generate stunning quote images to share your inspiration
⌨️ Keyboard wizardry: Navigate efficiently with full keyboard support (Vim-style options included!)
We're a tiny team of 2 people, united by our love for reading and writing. This passion drives our dedication to the Quotes project. If you're a fellow word lover, we'd love for you to take it for a spin and share your thoughts!
And since this is a public beta, expect to find some bugs and rough edges – but don't worry, that's what beta testing is for! Just let us know what you find, and we'll squash those bugs as fast as we can.🤞😉
Whether you're a reader, a writer, or someone who appreciates the power of words, we hope Quotes can be that special place where your collected wisdom lives and thrives. Every comment and piece of feedback helps us make Quotes better for fellow word lovers like you. Let's build something wonderful together!
Hi @masump , thanks for your awesome questions! Here’s a quick breakdown:
Smart Tagging: When you add a quote—whether by importing or typing—it automatically picks up any hashtags in the quote or its attached note. This means your tags are instantly grouped, making it easy to navigate by clicking on any tag. For example, if you add hashtags while taking notes on your Kindle, they’ll be seamlessly integrated when imported. I intentionally chose this approach over AI auto-tagging to keep the personal joy of curating your favorite words. (Though, I’m always open to evolving the idea!)
Rediscovery Tools: The key is to resurface your quotes naturally, without forcing a change in your habits. Inspired by habit-forming techniques, Quotes lets you set up a desktop widget that can display random quotes from a specific subset of your library. Alternatively, you can schedule time-based reminders so that rediscovery happens effortlessly—letting your digital environment do the work for you.
Handling Large Libraries & Sync: Even the largest personal quote libraries are surprisingly lightweight (usually just a few megabytes). Your quotes are stored locally in an SQLite database, and in the background, Apple CloudKit ensures smooth backup and syncing across your devices.
I hope this clears things up—can’t wait for you to try it out!
This product is a great example of digitalization. I'm really impressed by how you made a product for something you're passionate about. The design is also amazing! My friends will definitely need this as well, so I’ll share it with them. Congrats on the launch !🎉
Such an elegant solution I can't wait to try this.
Quotes are like the anchor points of climbers who have traversed the mountain before us, secure points of reference on our path.
Many years ago I was obsessed with gathering quotes as a way to keep myself motivated in the face of incredible challenges at the time and launched a street art project posting quotes around New York City: www.bemightyproject.com
Thank you @terrence_kelleman ! I love your analogy of quotes as anchor point. Yes, there's a lot of truth, wisdom, power and inspiration in words. The Be Mighty Project is equally inspiring! I might have seen once or twice as a brooklynite =)
I hope the Quotes app becomes a helpful tool for your quote curation, and I’d be excited to hear any feedback or feature ideas you might have!
I purchased a premium subscription and transferred my quotes to the app. Unfortunately, the application keeps freezing. Simply scrolling through the list of quotes or trying to search for something causes it to crash immediately, forcing me to close the app manually. In this state, the app is unusable. I am very disappointed.
Hi @pan_spam , I’m really sorry to hear about your experience — I can imagine how frustrating it must feel, especially after you’ve taken the time to import your quotes and upgrade to Premium. That’s definitely not the experience we want anyone to have with Quotes.
This sounds serious, and I’d love to work with you directly to get to the bottom of it. If you’re open to it, please reach out to me at conan@blurrr.studio — any crash logs or details about your library size or macOS version would help immensely.
We’re a small team but care deeply about building something stable and joyful to use, and your feedback is vital to that. I’ll prioritize this and make sure we find a fix.
Thanks again for speaking up — I really appreciate it.
Quotes
Hi Hunters!
I'm Conan, the creator of Quotes. This is our first time launching on Product Hunt, and I'd love to share the story behind how Quotes came to be.
Words have been my companions since childhood. To me, they've always been these magical little vessels of power, beauty, and wisdom. I've been a devoted collector of words ever since I can remember (though plot twist: I ended up becoming a software maker instead of a writer – but hey, I still keep my reading and writing habits alive!).
Like many collectors, I started the old-school way – notebooks, sticky notes, you name it. But oh boy, did that get messy fast! Lost notebooks during moves, countless frustrated moments digging through pages to find that one perfect quote. I tried going digital, jumped from one solution to another, but nothing quite clicked. So, I did what any slightly obsessed developer would do – I built my own solution! It started as a simple TUI (Terminal User Interface) tool.
When I showed this little creation to my fellow word-loving friends, they got excited... until they realized they had to use the terminal. Not everyone's cup of tea, right? That got me thinking – there must be others out there looking for something similar. Having lived through the golden age of classic Mac apps, I've always had a soft spot for those beautifully crafted, delightful native applications. I dreamed of creating something similar: a refined Mac app dedicated to quick collection, easy organization, and effortless browsing, deeply integrated with the system to bring your favorite words right into your virtual workspace.
Sure, it might not be the next billion-dollar idea, and yes, it's pretty niche. But you know what? We only live once, and some things just need to exist in the world. This reminds me of something Steve Jobs once said:
(Quote Image Generated Using the Quotes App)
Now I’m not claiming Quotes has reached that "wonderful" status yet, but that's what we're aiming for, one feature at a time. After months of designing and building, we've got something that I believe nails the core features I've always wanted:
🔒 Own your data: Local-first approach with multiple export options for complete control
✈️ Offline-friendly: No internet required for full functionality
📥 Easy import: Seamlessly bring in highlights from Kindle, CSV, and more sources
🏷️ Smart organization: Manage your library with Tags, Collections, and Index
🔍 Powerful search: Find any quote with comprehensive full-text search
⏰ Rediscovery tools: Widgets & Reminders bring your favorite quotes back into your day
🖼️ Beautiful sharing: Generate stunning quote images to share your inspiration
⌨️ Keyboard wizardry: Navigate efficiently with full keyboard support (Vim-style options included!)
We're a tiny team of 2 people, united by our love for reading and writing. This passion drives our dedication to the Quotes project. If you're a fellow word lover, we'd love for you to take it for a spin and share your thoughts!
And since this is a public beta, expect to find some bugs and rough edges – but don't worry, that's what beta testing is for! Just let us know what you find, and we'll squash those bugs as fast as we can.🤞😉
Whether you're a reader, a writer, or someone who appreciates the power of words, we hope Quotes can be that special place where your collected wisdom lives and thrives. Every comment and piece of feedback helps us make Quotes better for fellow word lovers like you. Let's build something wonderful together!
Happy Quoting!
Conan
Quotes
Hi @masump , thanks for your awesome questions! Here’s a quick breakdown:
Smart Tagging:
When you add a quote—whether by importing or typing—it automatically picks up any hashtags in the quote or its attached note. This means your tags are instantly grouped, making it easy to navigate by clicking on any tag. For example, if you add hashtags while taking notes on your Kindle, they’ll be seamlessly integrated when imported. I intentionally chose this approach over AI auto-tagging to keep the personal joy of curating your favorite words. (Though, I’m always open to evolving the idea!)
Rediscovery Tools:
The key is to resurface your quotes naturally, without forcing a change in your habits. Inspired by habit-forming techniques, Quotes lets you set up a desktop widget that can display random quotes from a specific subset of your library. Alternatively, you can schedule time-based reminders so that rediscovery happens effortlessly—letting your digital environment do the work for you.
Handling Large Libraries & Sync:
Even the largest personal quote libraries are surprisingly lightweight (usually just a few megabytes). Your quotes are stored locally in an SQLite database, and in the background, Apple CloudKit ensures smooth backup and syncing across your devices.
I hope this clears things up—can’t wait for you to try it out!
This product is a great example of digitalization. I'm really impressed by how you made a product for something you're passionate about. The design is also amazing! My friends will definitely need this as well, so I’ll share it with them. Congrats on the launch !🎉
Quotes
Thank you @kay_arkain ! Hope you and your friends enjoy it, let me know if you have any suggestions or feature requests!
Quotes
Thank you @terrence_kelleman ! I love your analogy of quotes as anchor point. Yes, there's a lot of truth, wisdom, power and inspiration in words. The Be Mighty Project is equally inspiring! I might have seen once or twice as a brooklynite =)
I hope the Quotes app becomes a helpful tool for your quote curation, and I’d be excited to hear any feedback or feature ideas you might have!