Alexander McCall Smith Quotes & Sayings

“Manners are the basic building blocks of civil society.”

“Oh I love gadgets and I pride myself on keeping at the cutting edge of technology.”

“As a writer I've learned certain lessons. One of them is to be careful about how you put a view, and to bear in mind how easily and readily you'll be misinterpreted.”

“One of the most destructive things that's happening in modern society is that we are losing our sense of the bonds that bind people together - which can lead to nightmares of social collapse.”

“It's through the small things that we develop our moral imagination, so that we can understand the sufferings of others.”

“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.”

“If you lose sight of the smaller accomplishments, you end up with an imbalance in your life.”

“I think people in Botswana are pleased that my books paint a positive picture of their lives and portray the country as being very special. They've made a great success of their country, and the people are fed up with the constant reporting of only the problems and poverty of the continent. They welcome something which puts the positive side.”

“My wife Elizabeth and I started The Really Terrible Orchestra for people like us who are pretty hopeless musicians who would like to play in an orchestra. It has been a great success. We give performances; we've become the most famous bad orchestra in the world.”

“Well, I'd say all of us are a combination of moods and emotions. In my day to day life I don't go around skipping, but at times one can feel sheer exhilarating joy at the world.”