quote [Special Operator]

quote object => object

Arguments and Values::

object---an object; not evaluated.

Description::

The quote special operator just returns object.

The consequences are undefined if literal objects (including quoted objects) are destructively modified.

Examples::

 (setq a 1) =>  1
 (quote (setq a 3)) =>  (SETQ A 3)
 a =>  1
 'a =>  A
 ''a =>  (QUOTE A) 
 '''a =>  (QUOTE (QUOTE A))
 (setq a 43) =>  43
 (list a (cons a 3)) =>  (43 (43 . 3))
 (list (quote a) (quote (cons a 3))) =>  (A (CONS A 3)) 
 1 =>  1
 '1 =>  1
 "foo" =>  "foo"
 '"foo" =>  "foo"
 (car '(a b)) =>  A
 '(car '(a b)) =>  (CAR (QUOTE (A B)))
 #(car '(a b)) =>  #(CAR (QUOTE (A B)))
 '#(car '(a b)) =>  #(CAR (QUOTE (A B)))

See Also::

section Evaluation, section Single-Quote,

section Compiler Terminology

Notes::

The textual notation 'object is equivalent to (quote object); see section Compiler Terminology.

Some objects, called self-evaluating objects, do not require quotation by quote. However, symbols and lists are used to represent parts of programs, and so would not be useable as constant data in a program without quote. Since quote suppresses the evaluation of these objects, they become data rather than program.

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