The HTML block container element
<blockquote> ... </blockquote>is used to incorporate a block of text as a distinctive quotation within normal text.
The distinction is usually achieved by indentation at both ends of a text line, i.e. a temporary increase in margin width for the duration of the element. It causes a paragraph break. Here's an example, taken from the HTML 3.2. standard
They went in single file, running like hounds on a strong scent, and an eager light was in their eyes. Nearly due west the broad swath of the marching Orcs tramped its ugly slot; the sweet grass of Rohan had been bruised and blackened as they passed.
The above is quoted from The Two Towers by J.R.R.Tolkien
Further indentation can be achieved by nesting <blockquote> tags. Here's the same passage as above nested 4 layers deep.
I.e. the tag <blockquote> appears four times before the quoted passage and the tag </blockquote> appears four times after the passage.They went in single file, running like hounds on a strong scent, and an eager light was in their eyes. Nearly due west the broad swath of the marching Orcs tramped its ugly slot; the sweet grass of Rohan had been bruised and blackened as they passed.
A <blockquote> element is a block element which means that the start of a <blockquote> element implies the end of a preceding block element, usually a <p> (paragraph) element.
The HTML 3.2 standard does not specify any attributes for the <blockquote> element, however some browsers recognise and honour the same values of the align attribute as are associated with the <p> element.IE3 generated a line break for each of the closing </blockquote> tags, NN only generated a single line break as did Microsoft IE4. In both cases the four opening <blockquote> tags only generated a single line break. Only IE honoured the align attribute.
See also <address>, <listing>, <plaintext>, <pre>, <xmp> and the general notes on text styles