Scottish - Writer | August 24, 1948 -
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.
Alexander McCall Smith
MeThinkPoliticalLookWillRange
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.
TogetherLosingPeopleSocietyLead
My parents were very supportive and always encouraged us. My father was a gentle, nice man. My mother was quite a colorful character and a keen reader who encouraged me to write.
FatherMotherCharacterManParents
It's through the small things that we develop our moral imagination, so that we can understand the sufferings of others.
Small ThingsImaginationSmallMoral
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.
MindViewYouBearBe CarefulHow
I have three older sisters, so we were a reasonably large family and, in general, a happy one.
FamilyHappyThreeOlderGeneral
If you lose sight of the smaller accomplishments, you end up with an imbalance in your life.
LifeEndYouLoseSightUp
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.
SeaGreatRiverFlowSightRather
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.
SpeakInterestingIceYouKnowTake
Manners are the basic building blocks of civil society.
BuildingSocietyMannersBasicCivil
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.
PositiveSuccessGreatWelcomeThink
Fiction is able to encompass books that are bleak and which dwell on the manifold and terrible problems of our times. But I don't think that all books need to have that particular focus.
FocusProblemsThinkDwellNeedOur
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Alexander McCall Smith quotes