diff --git a/frontend/src/components/compose/RichTextEditor.tsx b/frontend/src/components/compose/RichTextEditor.tsx
index b198eec..e5bccca 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/compose/RichTextEditor.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/compose/RichTextEditor.tsx
@@ -53,6 +53,33 @@ const PALETTE: string[] = [
   "#5b0f00", "#660000", "#783f04", "#7f6000", "#274e13", "#0c343d", "#1c4587", "#073763", "#20124d", "#4c1130",
 ];
 
+// The "•••" pill that folds a reply's quoted original, as the reading pane
+// does. It lives in the editable DOM (so it sits where the quote is) but is
+// never part of the message: `contentHtml` strips it from everything reported
+// out, and the quote is hidden by a class on the editor, not by its own markup,
+// so the sent and saved HTML always carry the full quote.
+const QUOTE_TOGGLE = "wmc-quote-toggle";
+
+function addQuoteToggle(el: HTMLElement, title: string) {
+  const quote = el.querySelector(".wmc-quoted > blockquote");
+  if (!quote || el.querySelector(`.${QUOTE_TOGGLE}`)) return;
+  const btn = document.createElement("button");
+  btn.type = "button";
+  btn.className = QUOTE_TOGGLE;
+  btn.contentEditable = "false";
+  btn.title = title;
+  btn.setAttribute("aria-label", title);
+  btn.textContent = "•••";
+  quote.parentNode?.insertBefore(btn, quote);
+}
+
+function contentHtml(el: HTMLElement): string {
+  if (!el.querySelector(`.${QUOTE_TOGGLE}`)) return el.innerHTML;
+  const copy = el.cloneNode(true) as HTMLElement;
+  copy.querySelectorAll(`.${QUOTE_TOGGLE}`).forEach((n) => n.remove());
+  return copy.innerHTML;
+}
+
 function Svg({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
   return (
     <svg
@@ -159,11 +186,15 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
   const [selImg, setSelImg] = useState<HTMLImageElement | null>(null);
   const [box, setBox] = useState<{ left: number; top: number; width: number; height: number } | null>(null);
 
+  // A reply's quoted original starts folded away behind the "•••" pill.
+  const [quoteOpen, setQuoteOpen] = useState(false);
+
   // Seed the editable region exactly once.
   useEffect(() => {
     const el = ref.current;
     if (!el) return;
     el.innerHTML = initialHtml;
+    addQuoteToggle(el, t("compose.showQuoted"));
     onReady?.(el);
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
   }, []);
@@ -178,7 +209,7 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
       } else if (sig) {
         sig.remove();
       }
-      onInput(el.innerHTML);
+      onInput(contentHtml(el));
     },
     insertSignature: (html: string) => {
       const el = ref.current;
@@ -197,7 +228,7 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
       el.insertBefore(spacerBefore, anchor);
       el.insertBefore(block, anchor);
       el.insertBefore(spacerAfter, anchor);
-      onInput(el.innerHTML);
+      onInput(contentHtml(el));
     },
     insertHtml: (html: string) => {
       const el = ref.current;
@@ -210,7 +241,7 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
         block.innerHTML = html;
         el.insertBefore(block, el.querySelector(".wmc-signature, .wmc-quoted"));
       }
-      onInput(el.innerHTML);
+      onInput(contentHtml(el));
     },
   }));
 
@@ -269,7 +300,7 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
   }, [colorMenu]);
 
   const emit = () => {
-    if (ref.current) onInput(ref.current.innerHTML);
+    if (ref.current) onInput(contentHtml(ref.current));
   };
 
   const exec = (command: string, value?: string) => {
@@ -369,6 +400,11 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
 
   const onEditorClick = (e: React.MouseEvent) => {
     const el = e.target as HTMLElement;
+    if (el.closest(`.${QUOTE_TOGGLE}`)) {
+      e.preventDefault();
+      setQuoteOpen((v) => !v);
+      return;
+    }
     setSelImg(el.tagName === "IMG" ? (el as HTMLImageElement) : null);
   };
 
@@ -547,13 +583,13 @@ export const RichTextEditor = forwardRef<
           role="textbox"
           aria-multiline="true"
           data-testid="rich-editor"
-          onInput={(e) => onInput((e.target as HTMLDivElement).innerHTML)}
+          onInput={(e) => onInput(contentHtml(e.currentTarget))}
           onKeyUp={refreshActive}
           onMouseUp={refreshActive}
           onClick={onEditorClick}
           onKeyDown={onEditorKeyDown}
           onScroll={() => setBox(computeBox())}
-          className={`wmc-editor ${minHeight} flex-1 overflow-y-auto px-3 py-3 text-sm text-app-fg outline-none`}
+          className={`wmc-editor ${quoteOpen ? "" : "wmc-quote-collapsed"} ${minHeight} flex-1 overflow-y-auto px-3 py-3 text-sm text-app-fg outline-none`}
         />
         {selImg && box && (
           <>
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/en.ts b/frontend/src/i18n/en.ts
index 9bacd91..4a241fe 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/en.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/en.ts
@@ -183,6 +183,7 @@ export const en = {
   "mail.download": "Download",
 
   "compose.newMessage": "New message",
+  "compose.showQuoted": "Show or hide the quoted message",
   "compose.to": "To",
   "compose.cc": "Cc",
   "compose.bcc": "Bcc",
diff --git a/frontend/src/index.css b/frontend/src/index.css
index 6cdd8e2..c6bdfc8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/index.css
+++ b/frontend/src/index.css
@@ -161,6 +161,30 @@ body {
   background: rgba(180, 150, 100, 0.06);
 }
 
+/* The reply's quoted original folds behind a "•••" pill, as in the reading
+   pane. Only a quote the pill directly precedes is hidden, so deleting the pill
+   can never leave a quote hidden with no way back to it. */
+.wmc-editor .wmc-quote-toggle {
+  display: inline-block;
+  margin: 6px 0;
+  padding: 1px 9px;
+  border: none;
+  border-radius: 8px;
+  background: rgb(var(--app-hover));
+  color: rgb(var(--app-muted));
+  cursor: pointer;
+  font: inherit;
+  font-size: 15px;
+  line-height: 1.5;
+  user-select: none;
+}
+.wmc-editor .wmc-quote-toggle:hover {
+  color: rgb(var(--app-fg));
+}
+.wmc-editor.wmc-quote-collapsed .wmc-quote-toggle + blockquote {
+  display: none;
+}
+
 /* Thin, unobtrusive scrollbars that match the theme. */
 * {
   scrollbar-width: thin;