######################### String literals in Python ######################### .. testsetup:: from __future__ import print_function A string literal is where you specify the contents of a string in a program. >>> a = 'A string' Here 'A string' is a string literal. The variable `a` is a string variable, or, better put in Python, a variable that points to a string. String literals can use single or double quote delimiters. >>> a = 'A string' # string literal with single quotes >>> b = "A string" # string literal with double quotes >>> b == a # there is no difference between these strings True Literal strings with single quote delimiters can use double quotes inside them without any extra work. >>> print('Single quoted string with " is no problem') Single quoted string with " is no problem If you need an actual single quote character inside a literal string delimited by single quotes, you can use the backslash character before the single quote, to tell Python not to terminate the string: >>> print('Single quoted string containing \' is OK with backslash') Single quoted string containing ' is OK with backslash Likewise for double quotes: >>> print("Double quoted string with ' is no problem") Double quoted string with ' is no problem >>> print("Double quoted string containing \" is OK with backslash") Double quoted string containing " is OK with backslash Some characters preceded by a backslash have special meaning. For example: >>> print('Backslash before "n", as in \n, inserts a new line character') #doctest: +NORMALIZE_WHITESPACE Backslash before "n", as in , inserts a new line character If you do not want the backslash to have this special meaning, prefix your string literal with 'r', meaning "raw": >>> print(r'Prefixed by "r" the \n no longer inserts a new line') Prefixed by "r" the \n no longer inserts a new line You can use triple quotes to enclose strings with more than one line: >>> print('''This string literal ... has more than one ... line''') This string literal has more than one line Triple quotes can use single or double quote marks: >>> print("""This string literal ... also has more than one ... line""") This string literal also has more than one line