Ian Rankin Quotes

I'm often asked how I write books, but I don't think my approach is suitable for everyone. If I walked into a creative writing class, all I could say to them was 'I tend to make it up as I go along.' I'm not sure that's brilliant advice.

Ian Rankin

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Quotes to Explore

• I live in Derry, a little town in Ireland, and I don't have the background of Hollywood or Broadway.

  

  Damian McGinty
  • Live
  • Hollywood
  • Broadway

• So people think I'm lying about my age all the time? It's the records that are wrong. I've never told anyone how old I am. The minute they ask me, I say 'That's none of your business.' So that means I've never once lied about my age. Now that's true!

  

  Calista Flockhart
  • People
  • Time
  • Business

• It was inevitable at some point that I would bump into one of my father's plays. The reality of the situation is that I'm a jobbing actor, and any actor would give their eye-teeth to have one of those roles. It's a no-brainer! I'm pleased the stars have aligned around 'Arcadia.'

  

  Ed Stoppard
  • Father
  • Reality
  • Stars

• In the '80 Olympics... people expected me to win. I was good enough to win, and I made a mistake and ended up second, which is pretty good, too.

  

  Nadia Comaneci
  • People
  • Up
  • Good

• I would gladly admit women are superior to men if only they would stop trying to be the same as us.

  

  Sacha Guitry
  • Men
  • Women
  • Trying

• Work is the thing that happens around the game time.

  

  Wayne Brady
  • Time
  • Work
  • Game

• I'm content with the fact that I made a decent effort. That's what I've always worried about: that I wouldn't try hard enough.

  

  Jack Nicholson
  • Always
  • Effort
  • Try

• First of all, returning from motherhood, I was looking for something lighter, and I wasn't as much attracted to Kate as I was to the relationship between the two people.

  

  Tea Leoni
  • People
  • Relationship
  • Motherhood

• When decorum is repression, the only dignity free men have is to speak out.

  

  Abbie Hoffman
  • Men
  • Free
  • Speak

• Banks are concerned the central bank is imposing too many regulations. If the trend continues, we'll swing to heavy regulation. We need to have balanced regulation to encourage the economy.

  

  Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair
  • Need
  • Economy
  • Bank

• Schizophrenia beats dining alone.

  

  Oscar Levant
  • Alone
  • Schizophrenia
  • Dining

• As a woman, I've learned that having a uniform of your staples or setting your look and saying what distinguishes you - like red lips or hair or whatever - leaves so much time for the rest of the day.

  

  Natasha Lyonne
  • Time
  • Day
  • Rest

• I think my novel, 'Walden Two,' has made people stop and look at the culture they have inherited and wonder if it is the last word or whether it can be changed.

  

  B. F. Skinner
  • People
  • Culture
  • Stop

• All things must come to the soul from its roots, from where it is planted.

  

  Saint Teresa of Avila
  • Soul
  • Wisdom
  • Roots

• Elegance is not a dispensable luxury but a factor that decides between success and failure.

  

  Edsger Dijkstra
  • Success
  • Failure
  • Luxury

• My most annoying habit is complaining about my aches and pains. It's the new ones that I haven't identified yet that make me nervous. According to my wife, I complain way too much. I may be a borderline hypochondriac, or you could say I am fascinated by the body - at least by mine.

  

  Ted Danson
  • Wife
  • Body
  • Complain

• Albania is going through a deep crisis because it lacks the rule of law, an independent judiciary, and freedom of the media. I don't think if we stop protesting the problem is solved.

  

  Edi Rama
  • Freedom
  • Law
  • Stop

• I treasure my meetings with individuals affected by autism - parents, children, teachers and friends. Their strength is inspiring. They deserve all possible opportunities for education, employment and integration.

  

  Ban Ki-moon
  • Children
  • Friends
  • Parents

• I think the only kind of acceptable evangelization is the evangelization of good example.

  

  Andrew Greeley
  • Good

• I really don't have that many run-ins. People by and large are very nice to me.

  

  Norma Deloris Egstrom
  • People
  • Nice

• Whoever sincerely believes that elevated and distant goals are as little use to man as a cow, that 'all of our problems' come from such goals, is left to eat, drink, sleep, or, when he gets sick of that, to run up to a chest and smash his forehead on its corner.

  

  Anton Chekhov
  • Up
  • Sleep
  • Goals

• I operate better with education and awareness, like I think all of us do. I don't like to be walking around in a vacuum, lost in my own thoughts. I'm much better with information.

  

  Christian Slater
  • Education
  • Lost
  • Thoughts

• Truly wealthy people develop the habit of "getting rich slow" rather than "getting rich quick." To assure this, they have two rules with regard to money. Rule number one: Don't lose money. Rule number two: If ever you feel tempted, refer back to rule number one, "don't lose money."

  

  Brian Tracy
  • People
  • Money
  • Habit

• I'm often asked how I write books, but I don't think my approach is suitable for everyone. If I walked into a creative writing class, all I could say to them was 'I tend to make it up as I go along.' I'm not sure that's brilliant advice.

  

  Ian Rankin
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  • Writing
  • Advice