Scottish Quotes

“You can cover a great deal of country in books. ”
― Andrew Lang

“You can only chase a butterfly for so long.”
― Jane Yolen, Prince Across the Water

“I'M SCOTTISH!”
― Elizabeth Wein, Code Name Verity

“Not the bee upon the blossom,
In the pride o' sunny noon;
Not the little sporting fairy,
All beneath the simmer moon;
Not the poet, in the moment
Fancy lightens in his e'e,
Kens the pleasure, feels the rapture,
That thy presence gi'es to me.”
― Robert Burns

“It would ha' been a good deal easier, if ye'd only been a witch.”
― Diana Gabaldon, The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel

“Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie! ”
― Robert Burns

“Most lasses like it when a man kills the bugs. Along with reaching high places and giving sexual pleasure, it's one of the few universally popular qualities we have on offer.”
― Tessa Dare, When a Scot Ties the Knot

“Ah fuckin hate the way some American cunts call lassies cunts. Fuckin offensive, that shite.”
― Irvine Welsh, Dead Men's Trousers [May 29, 2018] Welsh, Irvine

“If ye canna see the bright side o' life, polish the dull side”
― Christina Dodd, Some Enchanted Evening

“Her own hair was a glory of copper fire that morning, shining like a whisky still, long and loose in gentle flames down her back.”
― Elizabeth Wein, The Pearl Thief

“I had turned to leave and he had called after me. “Miss Maria, I kin no other woman who could be wearing men’s trousers and be dripping such as ye are and look quite so lovely. It’s a right shame your mother is marrying you off to that great sot!”
I had turned to call back to him, “I doubt very much we will have to worry about that after today!”
― Gwenn Wright, The BlueStocking Girl

“He who lies down with dogs shall rise with fleas”
― Christina Dodd, Some Enchanted Evening

“An old liar told me here
To think ahead and save my money.
I should have spent it on ribbons.
I should have learned the tune my dead grandfather played
When the daft wife heard him resounding
In the deep pine woods in early November.”
― Menzies McKillop

“I'm certain that our friends from around the world find it hilarious that as soon as the sun makes an appearance we rush to sit out on our patios and balconies clutching hot drinks, "Isn't it lovely?" we tell each other, our voices barely audible through the chatter of our teeth.
Even in summer the Scottish weather can be so changeable that we have learned to adapt our gardens, putting up seagrass walls to shield lawns and installing barbeques in sunken courtyards in an attempt to prevent being driven inside by the wind.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Like our homes, a garden is an extension of taste and preference.
It can be a hobby room, a zone for entertaining, a junkyard and a display of creativity.
Somewhere to take a gulp of air or wine - whichever is the most necessary.
The garden also works hard.
It is a place to hang washing, to store equipment, bikes and ladders, to hose down a muddy dog.
Those of us with gardens big enough to execute our visions prove that projects can be born combining many of these elements, sometimes even all.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Coorie gardens have a common trait: there will be at least one place that encourages reflection and peacefulness.
A coorie spot could be a garden grotto, blending into the scenery with trained climbers concealing its form or a basic summerhouse with space to sit.
A balcony with a comfortable chair where you can turn your face to the sun and read a book is a perfect coorie space.
Even a shared back court with a picnic bench can be dressed with lanterns and potted plants to conjure the feeling of coorie.
Some intrepid souls might like to string a hammock out to evoke the ultimate sense of downtime.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Gardeners with coorie on the brain don't have to look far for inspiration.
An urban jungle can easily be created on a tiny city terrace.
Professional gardeners recommend looking around to see what context your outside space falls within to give you clues on design.
If the spires of a large granite church or leaves of a copper beech tree can be seen close by echo the colours and shapes.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“To start, planters large enough to host quick growing shrubbery work best on terraces but think about how much light your outside space receives.
Try foliage in shady spots and grasses in areas that are scorched by the wind.
Once established, greenery should also provide an extra layer of shelter to protect when you're sitting outside with a morning coffee.
Light sources are the final, crucial addition to coorie gardens - as they are in most ideas relating to the concept.
If your outside space has a pagoda or loggia, roof-hung lighting creates a beguiling grotto effect.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Charles Rennie Mackintosh, "Art is the Flower - Life is the Green Leaf.
Let every artist strive to make his flower a beautiful living thing, something that will convince the world that there may be, there are, things more precious more beautiful - more lasting than life itself.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Coorie is like a wee cuddle, either with a person or in a blanket.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Food wasn't just there to fill us up.
It was a conversation starter to block unsure silences and feel grateful for.
Life doesn't get coorier than that.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“A coorie home is one that both looks and feels good.
A squishy couch and a favourite mug filled with a steaming cup of tea can brighten the edges of even the most miserable day.
There must be a psychological reason behind why we get attached to certain items in our homes, whether it's dad's armchair with its alarmingly permanent bum groove or a wooden spoon with just the right shaped handle.
Answers on a postcard, please.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Coorie interiors are ones that lift the spirits.
Sterile or overly cluttered spaces aren't very coorie because they don't make us want to spend time there with the people we love.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“William Morris, " Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“It's the combination of country air and no phone reception that does it for me.
If I want to stay inside my lochside cabin cooried in on a dreich day with a trashy magazine there's no stopping me.
The same goes for getting up early, pulling back the curtains and feeling the morning rays on my face.
Then it might be the perfect opportunity for hill running - either observing or taking part.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Being a tourist in your own country opens up parts of Scotland we never knew existed.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“If the best things in life are free, the second-best things cost only a handful of pennies.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Coorie believes in looking out for ways to make the most of what's around us, creating coorie on the cheap is easy.
An added bonus of many of these coorie activities is that they force us to slow down and ask deeper questions about where we are going and where we have been.
They also encourage collaboration, whether that's spending time with our nieces and nephews baking cakes, taking our dogs for a walk, combing the beach for shells or chatting to older generations about the history of our country.
There are countless ways to embody coorie into your days at work, days off, nights in the city and nights out in the wild.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Everyone needs a space in which they can hide from the world.
But it's not always easy to have one in your house.
The ideal scenario is to have a room away from the main thoroughfare of a home - and that's where a garden room comes in handy.”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way

“Humans + fire + food = happiness”
― Gabriella Bennett, The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way