String literals in Python

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")
print("Double quoted string containing \" is OK with backslash")

Double quoted string with ' is no problem
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')

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