Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Ian Rankin

Quote by Ian Rankin

Work

The Black Book

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin, born on April 28, 1960, is a renowned Scottish crime writer. His works, set in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, delve into themes of crime, social issues, and the darker aspects of human nature. Rankin's novels are highly appreciated by readers and have won numerous awards in the crime fiction genre. more

You May Also Like

“It was the ghetto. I had seen them before from the high altitude of one who could look down and pity. Now I belonged here and the view was different. A first glance told it all. Here it was pennies and clutter and spittle on the curb... Here was the indefinable stink of despair. Here modesty was the luxury. People struggled for it... Here sensuality was escape, proof of manhood for people who could prove it no other way... Here hips drew the eye and flirted with the eye and caused the eye to lust or laugh. It was better to look at hips than at the ghetto.”

“I think of what it means to be a teenager in America, necessarily pushing boundaries, making expected mistakes. Here there is no margin for error: a mistake, no matter how insignificant, dashes any small hopes to break the cycle of poverty. Here in Kibera the world is relentless and unforgiving.”

“Why do we always begin to think about people when they die? I think we should think about people while they're still alive! That way, they can know that we're thinking about them! I always tell people when I'm thinking about them, or that I thought about them, or that I have been thinking about them and it almost always scares them away, but so what, I am practicing the art of life and if that is frightening to them then maybe they need to start living while they're still alive!”