Ambient Desktop Widget for Focus & Flow

A minimal, always-on desktop widget that delivers real-time quotes — designed to blend into your workflow, not interrupt it.

---

Preview

-Bottom right corner
-Always visible
-Never distracting

---

What is this?

Live Quotes is a lightweight desktop widget that sits quietly in the corner of your screen and refreshes quotes every few seconds.

No popups.
No distractions.
Just clean, ambient motivation while you work.

---

Why it stands out

Most apps compete for attention.

This one stays out of your way.

• No UI clutter
• No notifications
• No interaction needed

It simply exists — like background music, but for your mind.

---

Features

Live Quote Streaming
Fetches fresh quotes from ZenQuotes API

Offline Fallback System
Works even without internet

Always-on Ambient Mode
Visible but never intrusive

Ultra Lightweight
Runs silently with minimal resources

Stealth Mode
No taskbar presence, no distractions

Auto Refresh Engine
New quote every 10–15 seconds

Minimal Aesthetic UI
Clean black + subtle typography

Instant Exit
Press ESC anytime

---

Installation

1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/laxdip/live-quotes.git
cd live-quotes

2. Install dependencies

pip install requests

3. Run the widget

python app.py

---

Quick Launch Options

Option 1 — Manual (Python)

python app.py

---

Option 2 — One-Click Launch (.bat file)

Simply double-click:

start_quotes.bat

This will automatically launch the widget.

---

What does the .bat file do?

The start_quotes.bat file is a simple Windows script that runs your app.

Example:

@echo off
cd /d %~dp0
python app.py
pause

Explanation:

• @echo off → hides command output noise
• cd /d %~dp0 → navigates to project folder automatically
• python app.py → runs the application
• pause → keeps window open (useful for debugging)

---

Why use the .bat file?

• One click launch
• No need to open terminal
• Beginner friendly
• Can be added to startup for auto-run

---

Run on Startup (Windows)

1. Press Win + R
2. Type:

   shell:startup
   

3. Paste start_quotes.bat inside

Now the widget starts automatically on boot 🚀

---

Tech Stack

• Python — Core logic
• Tkinter — GUI
• ZenQuotes API — Quote source

---

How it works

1. Fetches quote from API
2. Displays it in floating window
3. Falls back to local quotes if offline
4. Refreshes automatically

Runs continuously in the background.

---

Future Enhancements

• Custom themes (dark / glass / neon)
• Draggable widget position
• Smart quote categories (dev / mindset / humor)
• Local quote database expansion
• Custom hotkeys
• Smooth animations & transitions

---

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome.

If you have ideas to improve, performance, or features feel free to contribute.

---

Support

If you like this project:

• Star the repo
• Share it
• Build something on top of it

---

Note

This is not just a widget.

It’s a tiny system running beside your work keeping your mind slightly sharper, every few seconds.

Built by Prasad