Quotes by scottish authors

As a writer, you have to realize that people want to like the characters, so you have to be careful to keep them involved. Alexander McCall Smith
You People Characters Be Careful Writer Like Involved Want Them Realize Keep Careful
The Okavango Delta is an astonishing sight: the great Okavango River, rather than flow towards the sea, flows inland, into the sands of the Kalahari. Alexander McCall Smith
Great Astonishing Sight Rather River Delta Towards Than Sands Sea Inland Flow Flows
Baboons take a bit of getting to know but, apparently, once you break the ice, so to speak, they are complex and interesting creatures with elaborate societies. Alexander McCall Smith
You Speak Once Bit Complex Take Know Getting Break Ice Elaborate Interesting Apparently Creatures Societies
I am capable of being idle. Alexander McCall Smith
Idle Am Being Capable
Trees are your best antiques. Alexander Smith
Best Trees Antiques Your
I go into my library and all history unrolls before me. Alexander Smith
Me History Library Before Go
If you do your fair day's work, you are certain to get your fair day's wage - in praise or pudding, whichever happens to suit your taste. Alexander Smith
Work Day You Fair Praise Wage Get Taste Happens Certain Your Pudding Suit
Books are a finer world within the world. Alexander Smith
World Books Finer Within
How deeply seated in the human heart is the liking for gardens and gardening. Alexander Smith
Gardening Heart Human Heart Liking How Human Gardens Seated Deeply
The dead keep their secrets, and in a while we shall be as wise as they - and as taciturn. Alexander Smith
Wise Secrets Taciturn Shall Dead While Keep
A man gazing on the stars is proverbially at the mercy of the puddles in the road. Alexander Smith
Man Mercy Stars Gazing Road
To be occasionally quoted is the only fame I care for. Alexander Smith
Care Only Occasionally Fame Quoted
Trifles make up the happiness or the misery of human life. Alexander Smith
Happiness Life Trifles Misery Make Make Up Up Human Human Life
If you wish to make a man look noble, your best course is to kill him. What superiority he may have inherited from his race, what superiority nature may have personally gifted him with, comes out in death. Alexander Smith
Death Best Nature You Man Wish Gifted Out Superiority He Noble Look Make Him Course His May Race Personally Your Inherited
In the end, will truth matter? Of course truth will matter. Truth isn't relative. But there's going to be a great sacrifice on the way to getting truth to matter to us again, to finding out why it does, and God knows what shape that sacrifice will take. Ali Smith
Truth God Great Matter Will Sacrifice Relative Way Out Finding Shape Take Knows Course Does End Getting Going In The End Again Us Why
I grew up completely alone but with all the comforts of knowing I had a cushioning family structure around me - and yet I could free myself from it. Ali Smith
Alone Myself Family Me Free Structure Could Had Knowing Around Comforts Up Family Structure Grew
I'm blessed in my good friends, and some of them happen to be writers, though that's almost never what our friendships are about. And every writer I've ever read, living or dead, has in one way or another helped and inspired. I have a feeling it's important not to mix the two up. Ali Smith
Good Feeling Blessed Important Living Good Friends Every Our Way Though Some One-Way About Inspired Writer Writers Never Almost Dead Read Another Mix Up Friends Friendships Happen Them Helped Ever Two
What I know most is that the difference between us is what makes us interesting and attractive and problematic and exciting and vital to each other. Give me difference over indifference any day. Ali Smith
Day Me Other Vital Indifference Give Give Me Exciting Between Over Know Most Attractive Makes Any Difference Problematic Interesting Us Each
I don't want a tombstone. You could carve on it 'She never actually wanted a tombstone.' Ali Smith
You Carve Could Never She Want Wanted Tombstone Actually
Even things which seem separate and finished are infinitely connected and will infinitely connect. This connection happens as soon as you let it, as soon as you engage - as soon as you even attempt to engage. Ali Smith
You Will Finished Seem Attempt Soon Infinitely Happens Which Separate Engage Connect Connected Connection Even Things
We'd never expect to understand a piece of music on one listen, but we tend to believe we've read a book after reading it just once. Ali Smith
Music Book Reading Believe Once Tend Never Never Expect Piece Read Understand Expect Listen Just After
Fashion is fickle, and I was published because I was fashionable. Because I was gay. Ali Smith
Fashion Gay Fickle Because Fashionable Published
A good argument, like a good dialogue, is always a proof of life, but I'd much rather go and read a book. Ali Smith
Life Good Book Argument Proof Rather Like Read Always Dialogue Go Much
All we need to do, reader or writer, from first line to final page, is be as open as a book, and be alive to the life in language - on all its levels. Ali Smith
Life Book Language First Final Alive Writer Open Reader Line Page Levels Need
I wouldn't call my work Modernist. I would rust if I try to think about labels. I'd feel like the Tin Man in 'The Wizard of Oz.' Ali Smith
Work Man Try Think Would About Rust Feel Like Call Wizard Wizard Of Oz Labels Tin Oz Modernist
We're well past the end of the century when time, for the first time, curved, bent, slipped, flash forwarded, and flashed back yet still kept rolling along. We know it all now, with our thoughts traveling at the speed of a tweet, our 140 characters in search of a paragraph. We're post-history. We're post-mystery. Ali Smith
Time Thoughts First Past Speed Back Our Bent Characters Paragraph Along Know Well First Time Still End Rolling Flash Century Tweet Search Traveling Now Kept
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