%r vs %s ans1: The %s specifier converts the object using str(), and %r converts it using repr(). For some objects such as integers, they yield the same result, but repr() is special in that (for types where this is possible) it conventionally returns a result that is valid Python syntax, which could be used to unambiguously recreate the object it represents. Here's an example, using a date: >>> import datetime >>> d = datetime.date.today() >>> str(d) '2011-05-14' >>> repr(d) 'datetime.date(2011, 5, 14)' Types for which repr() doesn't produce Python syntax include those that point to external resources such as a file, which you can't guarantee to recreate in a different context. ans2: %r shows with quotes: It will be like: I said: 'There are 10 types of people.'. If you had used %s it would have been: I said: There are 10 types of people.. -only true for strings, other types have different behavior – Winston Ewert May 14 '11 at 22:51