Alexander McCall Smith Quotes

I would much rather see responsibilities exercised by individuals than have them imposed by the government.

We can't stop anybody from doing what they want to do.

Athos liked every one to exercise his own free-will. He never gave his advice before it was demanded and even then it must be demanded twice. "In general, people only ask for advice," he said "that they may not follow it or if they should follow it that they may have somebody to blame for having given it".

The American people have worn out their patience being told by their so-called bettors that you don't know how to live your lives the right way. We need to arrange things for you so you can do things better than you would do yourself.

When you give the American people the tools to make the right choices for themselves, they're going to do that.

I have never believed that man's freedom consisted in doing what he wants, but rather in never doing what he does not want to do.

Sometimes people think of actors as marionettes - everybody else makes the decisions for us - and, you know, really, making this decision [of which roles to take] is the only thing you lay claim to.

I cannot go and tell women what to wear and what not to wear; you have to decide on your own.

The Nordic welfare model is in many aspects a good model but it needs more of a choice for individuals.

I hate being told what to do! Especially by myself!

I just do what I want to do without hurting other people and you know, I wish other people would do the same.

I have talked about choosing rather than acting from compulsion. When you feel that you have to live according to someone else's direction or live so that you never disappoint or hurt anybody, then your life is a continual assessment of whether or not you please other people.

For what is liberty but the unhampered translation of will into act?

If individuals are rational, there is no need to protect them against their own choices.

Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny.

No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself.

We are not naughty children, and the state is not our parent.

The important thing for me when I look at characters is to consider the kind of constraints placed upon them. Now, me personally, I don't like to have a lot of constraints placed upon me.

If you are not happy with the song, don't sing it. Simple as that - no-one forces you to do it.

I don't set a whole lot of goals. It smacks a little bit of will to me, and I find that will is not the way to go for me.

I'm for absolute autonomy of the individual, and an adult, competent woman has absolute autonomy. It's her choice.

People will always have an opinion, but you have to live life the way you want to. It's very easy to tell others what to do, but difficult to implement it on yourself.

Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself.

Allow the world to live as it chooses, and allow yourself to live as you choose.

It's your body and your life and you have an absolute right to do with it as you choose.