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Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith Quotes

Writer

Alexander McCall Smith, born on August 24, 1948, is a renowned Scottish writer known for his light-hearted and thoughtful writing style. His most famous works include the 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' series, which has gained him a wide readership around the world.

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All Alexander Mccall Smith People Love Thinking Men World Ifs Should Life Writing Book Humans Want Way Acceptance Character Kindness Looks Moral Wells

Famous Alexander McCall Smith Quotes

“Perhaps trust had to be accompanied by a measure of common sense, and a hefty dose of realism about human nature. But that would need a lot of thinking about, and the tea break did not go on forever.”

Thinking Trust Tea Time

Book:The Good Husband Of Zebra Drive

Source: The Good Husband Of Zebra Drive

“As a writer, I have readers who will have a range of political views. I don't think they look to me for political guidance.”

Thinking Looks Political Views Reader Range Guidance Political View

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“Life consists of positive and negative features, and I think that it is permissible to write about both.”

Thinking Writing Negative Features

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“I enjoy women's conversation, and I think that helps me to describe them in fiction.”

Thinking Helping Enjoy Fiction Conversation Help Me

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“We think the world is ours forever, but we are little more than squatters.”

Thinking World Littles Forever Squatters

Book:The Careful Use of Compliments

Source: The Careful Use of Compliments

“The people with the strong, brave exteriors are just as weak and vulnerable as the rest of us. And of course they never admit to their childish practices, their moments of weakness or absurdity, and then the rest of us think that's how it should be.”

People Thinking Should Moments Courses Strong Practice Weakness Weak Brave Vulnerable Absurdity Exterior Moments Of Weakness

Book:Love Over Scotland

Source: Love Over Scotland

“We need to believe I think in justice. We need to run our lives as if justice existed... If we abandon a belief that justice will eventually be done, we make this world much more difficult for ourselves.”

Ifs Thinking World Needs Believe Done Running Belief Difficult Justice Our Lives This World Abandon

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“This is another thing which I really like investigating in my novels: what is it that makes an intimate society, that makes a society in which moral concern for others will be possible? Part of that I think are manners and ritual. We tried to get rid of manners, we tried to abolish manners in the '60s. Manners were very, very old-fashioned and un-cool. And of course we didn't realise that manners are the building blocks of proper moral relationships between people.”

People Thinking Courses Moral Novel Building Concern Block Manners Intimate Ritual Realising Old Fashioned Abolish Investigating Building Blocks Concern For Others

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“I think that we've made great moral progress in the second half of the 20th century in many respects, and particularly in relation to human rights but I think that we are losing sight of some of the values of concern for others, and self-respect and respect for others.”

Thinking Humans Made Self Values Half Moral Rights Progress Century Losing Concern Sight Relation Human Rights Self Respect 20th Century Respecting Others Concern For Others

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“But you cannot expect every writer to dwell on human suffering. I think my books do deal with grave issues. People who say they are too positive probably havent read them.”

People Thinking Humans Book Suffering Deals Issues Graves Human Suffering

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“Gracious acceptance is an art - an art which most never bother to cultivate. We think that we have to learn how to give, but we forget about accepting things, which can be much harder than giving.... Accepting another person's gift is allowing him to express his feelings for you.”

Thinking Giving Persons Art Feelings Forget Accepting Acceptance Harder Bother Allowing Gracious Accepting Things

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“Most people want nothing to happen. That is the problem with governments these days. They want to do things all the time; they are always very busy thinking of what things they can do next. That is not what people want. People want to be left alone to look after their cattle.”

People Thinking Want Looks Problem Government Happens Next Left Can Do Gratitude Busy These Days Cattle Left Alone

Book:The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Source: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

“It was time to take the pumpkin out of the pot and eat it. In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to eat your pumpkin. That brought you down to earth. That gave you a reason for going on. Pumpkin.”

Thinking Stills Reason Problem Bigs Earth Finals Analysis Pot Big Problems Down To Earth Pumpkin

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“We all know that it is women who take the decisions, but we have to let men think that the decisions are theirs. It is an act of kindness on the part of women.”

Thinking Knows Men Decision Kindness Let Me Acts Of Kindness

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

“If your ceiling should fall down, then you have lost a room, but gained a courtyard. Think of it that way.”

Ifs Thinking Way Should Fall Lost Rooms Falling Down Ceilings

Book:The Right Attitude to Rain

Source: The Right Attitude to Rain

“How many of us are happy to be exactly where we are at any moment?...only the completely happy think that they are in the correct place.”

Thinking Moments

Book:The Right Attitude to Rain

Source: The Right Attitude to Rain

“They're very beautiful, aren't they? Clouds are very beautiful and yet so often we fail to appreciate them properly. We should do that. We should look at them and think about how lucky we are to have them.”

Thinking Should Looks Beautiful Failing Lucky Appreciate Clouds Very Beautiful

Author:Alexander McCall Smith

About the Author

Born: August 24, 1948
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 270

Related Topics

Alexander Mccall Smith People Love Thinking Men World Ifs Should Life Writing Book Humans Want Way Acceptance Character Kindness Looks Moral Wells

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The Woman Who Walked in SunshineRelated source material

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective AgencyRelated source material

At the Reunion BuffetRelated source material

The Sunday Philosophy ClubRelated source material

Love Over ScotlandRelated source material

Espresso TalesRelated source material

The Novel Habits of HappinessRelated source material

The Right Attitude to RainRelated source material

In the Company of Cheerful LadiesRelated source material

Morality for Beautiful GirlsRelated source material

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