Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith
R. Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a British writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In the late 20th century, McCall Smith became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees concerned with these issues...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth24 August 1948
Alexander McCall Smith quotes about
perhaps
You're always told by your publisher that you must only write one book a year and some years you should perhaps write none at all.
books doubted letters meant people single
Every single day, I get letters - very moving, overwhelming letters - testifying how much my books have meant to people in times of crisis in their lives, when they were very ill, say. If I ever doubted that writing could play an important part in people's lives, I don't doubt that now.
audiences inflict terrible
I would never inflict my bassoon on anybody really other than the long suffering audiences that come to the concerts of The Really Terrible Orchestra; which actually is really terrible.
books deny entirely given perfectly picture positive present sought written
My Botswana books are positive, and I've never really sought to deny that. They are positive. They present a very positive picture of the country. And I think that that is perfectly defensible given that there is so much written about Africa which is entirely negative.
children giving long
I've also long since realized that the way to really engage children is to give out prizes; it's amazing how it concentrates their minds.
peaceful debt democratic
Botswana is actually very peaceful. It's democratic. It never was in debt. They've been fortunate, they've had diamonds.
dysfunction noir addresses
Every novel presents a slice of life. A noir policier for example presents one slice, one that perhaps addresses social dysfunction or some sort of pathology, while mine present a slice that is more upbeat and affirmative.
new-shoes old-friends supportive
Old friends, like old shoes, are comfortable. But old shoes, unlike old friends, tend not to be supportive: it is easier to stumble and sprain an ankle while wearing a pair of old shoes than it is in new shoes, with their less yielding leather.
snakes moments arise
None of us knows how we will cope with snakes until the moment arises, and then most of us find out that we do not do it very well.
widowhood would-be should
There are many women whose lives would be immeasurably improved by widowhood, but one should not always point that out.
mma cake temptation
We are all tempted, Mma. We are all tempted when it comes to cake.
sight accomplishment imbalance
If you lose sight of the smaller accomplishments , you end up with an imbalance in your life.
heavyweights persons prepared
Do not take on a traditionally built person unless you are prepared for a heavyweight bout.
quirky stalking international-business
International business, once allowed to stalk uncontrolled, killed the local, the small, the quirky.