Ian Rankin Quotes

Mighty proud I am that I am able to have a spare bed for my friends.

Who says Australia offers not a home for every poor Englishman, or any other countryman that finds his way to our shores? And what sort of thanks do we get for it?

I love Scotland. Edinburgh is a beautiful city and has a wonderful tradition of supporting the arts.

What I generally get from being in Africa is a sense of warmth and openness. As a stranger, you are always welcomed into people's homes and people are always offering you food. That generosity is incredibly touching.

Living in Edinburgh, I consider myself particularly lucky - we have the biggest book festival in the world, a plethora of fascinating libraries and museums, and some of the greatest architecture in Europe.

I'm a bit of a Scotophile. I have a house on the Black Isle, so I'm in Scotland quite a lot and think Edinburgh is just the most beautiful city.

What is there more kindly than the feeling between host and guest?

I'm hugely fond of Scotland. My daughter, Jemma, was born in the Simpson Memorial Maternity Hospital in Edinburgh, and it always tickled me that she was so vexed she didn't have a Scottish accent even though she was brought up down south.

I have got the best of both worlds; growing up in Edinburgh and now living outside Glasgow.

My upbringing has always been quite equal in terms of cultural influences. But it's unlikely that anything could prepare you for a job that involves belting out Proclaimers songs on camera, in Edinburgh and in public.

There is a real sense of family when you're around Australians, even if you don't know them.

France is very welcoming to foreign writers.

To me, the stage is like my living room, or my home, and when you come over to my house, I have to be a hostess and invite you in so that we can have a great time.

I love the homely atmosphere of Indore and Bhopal. People here are very warm and affectionate.

Come and say G'day!

It's never the wrong time to call on Toad. Early or late he's always the same fellow. Always good-tempered, always glad to see you, always sorry when you go!

In Kazakhstan, once you're someone's guest, it's really hard to get away - everyone wants you to stay. They believe that if you invite a guest, luck will fly into your house.

Make it [the United States] the home of the skillful, the industrious, the fortunate, the happy, as well as the asylum of the distressed ... Let but this, our celebrated goddess, Liberty, stretch forth her fair hand toward the people of the old world—tell them to come, and bid them welcome.

My husband and I have very similar desires when we're entertaining. We want everybody to feel comfortable and welcome, to know they can kick off their shoes and be able to come right in.

I was born in Glasgow and brought up in a place in between Glasgow and Edinburgh called West Lothian!

Southern hospitality, that's where I come from.

My door will be open to everyone.

In my opinion, if you're entertaining guests, you should do everything possible to make them comfortable.

Filipinos are so warm and friendly, and they're known worldwide for that.

It's pretty ridiculous how nice people are in Milwaukee. It's like you're a member of everyone's family or something.