3621 quotes by scottish authors for you to enjoy

I don't know anyone who's suffered lung cancer. Iain Glen

Cancer Know Anyone Suffered Lung

I have often said that just as the French revolution, for instance, understood itself through antiquity, I think our time can be understood through the French revolution. It is quite a natural process to use other times to understand your own time. Ian Hamilton Finlay

Time Natural Revolution Own Think Other Our Our Time Through Instance French French Revolution Understand Said Understood Itself Times Antiquity Quite Often Just Process Natural Process Use Your

However, I don't feel the world is looking over my shoulder when I am working - I never think about this at all. What I think about is trying to make my work pure, and if it is pure then it can be accessible. It is quite straight forward really. Ian Hamilton Finlay

But at the beginning it was clear to me that concrete poetry was peculiarly suited for using in public settings. This was my idea, but of course I never really much got the chance to do it. Ian Hamilton Finlay

Me Beginning Settings Suited Poetry Never Clear Idea Course Got Concrete Public Much Really Using Chance

I came to these mediums through having the garden, and of course, people who have designed gardens have always worked in collaboration, and never made their own inscriptions. Ian Hamilton Finlay

Garden People Made Own Mediums Collaboration Having Through Never Course Always Came Worked Who Gardens Designed

The same sort of thing happened in my dispute with the National Trust book: Follies: A National Trust Guide, which implied that the only pleasure you can get from Folly architecture is by calling the architect mad, and by laughing at the architecture. Ian Hamilton Finlay

If the work is pure then you have to think it could be understood. If it is not understood it doesn't mean that your work is not accessible. It doesn't worry me, but, of course, I would be pleased if people liked my work. Ian Hamilton Finlay

Work Me You People Pure Think Pleased Worry Would Would-Be Could Liked Course Accessible Understood Mean Then Your

But you have to understand that I consider myself a very modest artist, or whatever, and not of importance really at all - it is quite embarrassing to me to be asked my opinion about things. I am only a wee Scottish poet on the outside of everything. Ian Hamilton Finlay

Myself Me You Poet Whatever Consider Everything Embarrassing About Only Wee Outside Importance Opinion Understand Am Very Scottish Artist Quite Modest Asked Really Things

I'm the blackest villain of all time. Ian McDiarmid

Time All-Time Blackest Villain

I suppose it's easy to play a hypocritical politician with a smiling face; it's also quite gratifying to play. Ian McDiarmid

Face Politician Easy Hypocritical Suppose Also Smiling Quite Gratifying Play

I think writers have to be proactive: they've got to use new technology and social media. Yes, it's hard to get noticed by traditional publishers, but there's a great deal of opportunity out there if you've got the right story. Ian Rankin

Great You Technology Opportunity Social Media Great Deal Think Out Writers New Deal Got Traditional Yes Get New Technology Proactive Story Social Noticed Use Hard Media Publishers Right

Right from the very beginning, I knew I wanted to write palpably Scottish fiction. Ian Rankin

Beginning Write Knew Very Scottish Fiction Wanted Right

I'm interested in Scotland now and then, how it's changed. I want to get the reader to think about that by thinking about something from the past. How has society changed, how has policing changed, have we changed philosophically, psychologically, culturally, spiritually? Ian Rankin

I wrote my first short story for a competition and won second prize. Another competition came up and I won first prize. The first story was published in a newspaper. The second went out on radio. Ian Rankin

Competition First Out Wrote Another Came Up Won Prize Short Short Story Story Newspaper Radio Published Second

I took the first James Kelman novel, 'The Bus Conductor Hines', home to my dad. I thought, 'My dad will like this; it's written in Scots.' But my dad said: 'I can't read that.' He was reading James Bond and John le Carre. That was part of what attracted me to crime - the idea of getting a wide audience. Ian Rankin

Home Me Crime Will Thought First Reading Took John He Part Written Idea Like Attracted Read Audience Said Conductor Getting James James Bond Bus Novel Dad Wide Bond

The most difficult part of any crime novel is the plotting. It all begins simply enough, but soon you're dealing with a multitude of linked characters, strands, themes and red herrings - and you need to try to control these unruly elements and weave them into a pattern. Ian Rankin

You Try Crime Control Difficult Enough Characters Plotting Weave Unruly Part Simply Red Soon Most Dealing Linked Begins Any Pattern Them Themes Novel Elements Multitude Need

I don't think I have one particular favourite writer. I have many whose works I will always buy or reread - Muriel Spark, Anthony Powell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ruth Rendell, James Ellroy, William McIlvanney, Kate Atkinson, John Burnside, Louise Welsh, Iain Banks. Ian Rankin

I don't have many friends. It's not because I'm a misanthrope. It's because I'm reserved. I'm self-contained. I get all my adventures in my head when I'm writing my books. Ian Rankin

Writing Books Head Self-Contained Adventures Because Friends Get Many Reserved

I dunno whether it was to do with my parents - we were working-class - but it was important to me to be self-sufficient. Ian Rankin

Me Parents Important Were Self-Sufficient Whether Working-Class

I don't hang out with cops. Ian Rankin

Out Hang Cops

Quotes by scottish authors