Goodreads Quotes

What does Goodreads Quotes Scraper do?

Goodreads Quotes Scraper collects quotes from Goodreads into clean, structured datasets for research, publishing, content planning, and app features. Provide a tag, an author name, or a direct Goodreads quotes URL, and the Actor returns quote records with the quote text, author details, book source, tags, and like counts. Output is deduplicated and cleaned automatically, so results are ready to analyze or load into other tools.

Goodreads hosts one of the largest public collections of reader-shared quotes, organized by tag and searchable by author or keyword. Copying those quotes into a spreadsheet by hand is slow and easy to get wrong, especially for large collections or recurring updates. This Actor replaces that manual work with a repeatable run that returns consistent records. It also helps when the official Goodreads API is unavailable, limited, or not practical for your workflow.

The Actor runs from Apify Console with simple form inputs, or programmatically through the Apify API. Results are stored in an Apify dataset and can be exported as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or sent to connected tools and automations.

Why use Goodreads Quotes Scraper?

• Structured quote datasets - Collect quotes with text, author, book, tags, and like counts in one run instead of copying pages by hand.
• Flexible collection modes - Target quotes by tag, author name, or a direct Goodreads quotes URL.
• Clean, deduplicated output - Empty fields are removed and duplicate quotes are skipped automatically.
• Controlled run sizes - Set the maximum number of quotes and a page limit, from small test runs to larger collections.
• Automation-ready output - Export to JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML, and connect results to webhooks, Google Sheets, Make, or Zapier.
• Recurring refresh - Schedule runs on Apify to update quote collections daily or weekly.

Typical uses include content planning for blogs and newsletters, quote-of-the-day apps, writing assistants, author and theme research, editorial calendars, and quote datasets for analysis or AI features.

What data can you extract from Goodreads?

Field	Description
quote	Full quote text
author	Author name
author_url	Goodreads author profile URL
book	Book title when available
book_url	Goodreads book page URL when available
tags	Tags attached to the quote
tag_count	Number of tags on the quote
likes	Number of likes on Goodreads
quote_id	Stable Goodreads quote identifier
url	Direct quote page URL
source	Collection mode used: tag, search, or quotes
source_query	Tag or query term used for the run
page	Page number where the quote was found

How to scrape Goodreads quotes

1. Open the Actor on Apify Store.
2. Enter a tag such as inspirational, an author name, or a direct Goodreads quotes URL.
3. Set the maximum number of quotes and, if needed, the page limit.
4. Run the Actor.
5. Download the dataset or connect it to your workflow.

You can also run the Actor with JSON input. The example below collects 50 inspirational quotes across up to 5 pages:

{
  "tag": "inspirational",
  "results_wanted": 50,
  "max_pages": 5
}

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
startUrl	String	No	-	Direct Goodreads quotes URL to collect from. Overrides tag and author when provided.
tag	String	No	inspirational	Tag page to collect quotes from, such as love or wisdom.
author	String	No	-	Author name used to find quotes by that author.
results_wanted	Integer	No	100	Maximum number of quotes to save.
max_pages	Integer	No	20	Safety limit on the number of pages to process. Each page typically holds about 30 quotes.
proxyConfiguration	Object	No	{"useApifyProxy": false}	Proxy settings for larger runs. Residential proxies are recommended for the best reliability.

Output Data

Each dataset item contains the following fields:

Field	Type	Description
quote_id	String	Stable Goodreads quote identifier when available
quote	String	Full quote text
author	String	Author name
author_url	String	Goodreads author profile URL
book	String	Book title when available
book_url	String	Goodreads book page URL when available
tags	Array	Tags associated with the quote
tag_count	Number	Number of tags on the quote
likes	Number	Number of likes on Goodreads
url	String	Direct quote page URL
source	String	Collection mode used: tag, search, or quotes
source_query	String	Tag or query term used for the run
page	Number	Page number where the quote was found

Usage Examples

Basic Tag Collection

Collect quotes from a single tag with a small result limit for testing:

{
  "tag": "inspirational",
  "results_wanted": 50,
  "max_pages": 5
}

Author Search

Collect quotes by a specific author:

{
  "author": "Maya Angelou",
  "results_wanted": 80,
  "max_pages": 8
}

Direct URL Collection

Collect quotes from a direct Goodreads quotes URL, with residential proxies for a larger run:

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/love",
  "results_wanted": 200,
  "max_pages": 12,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}

Sample Output

{
  "quote_id": "24499",
  "quote": "Be the change that you wish to see in the world.",
  "author": "Mahatma Gandhi",
  "author_url": "https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5810891.Mahatma_Gandhi",
  "tags": ["action", "change", "inspirational", "philosophy"],
  "tag_count": 4,
  "likes": 114486,
  "url": "https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/24499-be-the-change-that-you-wish-to-see-in-the",
  "source": "tag",
  "source_query": "inspirational",
  "page": 1
}

Tips for Best Results

Start Small First

Test with 20 to 50 results before scaling to larger runs. This keeps test runs fast and makes it easy to check the output format.

Use Specific Tags and Authors

Clear tags and author names usually return cleaner, more relevant datasets. For example, wisdom or maya angelou gives more focused results than a broad term.

Use Proxies for Scale

For larger runs, enable residential proxies in proxyConfiguration to keep collection stable and avoid throttling.

Review Before Scheduling

Check the dataset preview after the first run, then schedule repeat runs once the results look right.

Integrations

Connect output with:

• Google Sheets - Send scraped quotes to spreadsheets for reporting and collaboration.
• Airtable - Build searchable quote databases.
• Make - Build no-code pipelines from run results.
• Zapier - Trigger automations after each run.
• Webhooks - Push results to custom systems.
• API - Access datasets programmatically from your own applications.

Export Formats

• JSON - Developer-ready data.
• CSV - Spreadsheet analysis.
• Excel - Business reporting.
• XML - Structured system integrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many quotes can I collect?

The Actor scales from small test runs to large collections. Use results_wanted to set the target number of quotes and max_pages to control how many pages are processed.

Why are some optional fields missing?

Not every quote has complete metadata on Goodreads. The Actor removes empty values to keep records clean, so book, book_url, and quote_id may be absent for some quotes.

Can I collect quotes by author only?

Yes. Provide author and the Actor will collect quotes matching that author search.

Can I collect quotes from a direct URL?

Yes. Provide a startUrl pointing to any public Goodreads quotes page, such as a tag page. The URL takes priority over tag and author inputs.

Can I export Goodreads quotes to CSV or Excel?

Yes. Apify datasets can be downloaded in CSV, Excel, JSON, XML, and other supported formats.

Can I run this Actor on a schedule?

Yes. You can schedule the Actor in Apify Console to refresh quote collections hourly, daily, weekly, or at another interval.

Is this Actor suitable for non-technical users?

Yes. The Actor runs from Apify Console with form-based inputs, and results can be downloaded without writing code.

Is it legal to scrape Goodreads?

Scraping public web data can be legal, but you are responsible for complying with applicable laws, Goodreads terms of use, and privacy rules for your use case.

Related Actors

• Goodreads Books Scraper - Collect book details, editions, ratings, and metadata from Goodreads.
• Goodreads Review Scraper - Extract book reviews and reader feedback from Goodreads.
• BrainyQuote Scraper - Collect quotes and author profiles from BrainyQuote.
• AZ Quotes Scraper - Gather quotes organized by author and topic from AZ Quotes.

Support

For issues, feature requests, or custom Actor work, use the Issues tab on the Actor page or contact the developer through Apify.

Legal Notice

This Actor is designed for legitimate data collection from publicly available sources. Users are responsible for using the data responsibly and for complying with applicable laws, website terms, and any rights or permissions required for their downstream use.