Ian Rankin Quotes

Welcome to the realm of Ian Rankin’s wisdom encapsulated in quotes. Ian Rankin, a prolific Scottish author, is renowned for his gripping crime novels, notably the Inspector Rebus series. His works delve into the gritty underbelly of society, exploring complex characters and intricate plots that keep readers enthralled from beginning to end. Throughout his illustrious career, Rankin has not only crafted compelling narratives but has also offered profound insights into the human condition through his words.

In this collection of Ian Rankin quotes, you’ll find pearls of wisdom that resonate with readers far beyond the pages of his novels. Whether you’re seeking inspiration, introspection, or simply a glimpse into the mind of a master storyteller, these quotes are sure to provoke thought and stir the imagination. From musings on crime and justice to reflections on life’s deeper meanings, Rankin’s words offer a glimpse into his keen observational skills and astute understanding of the world around us. Explore, ponder, and enjoy the wisdom of Ian Rankin encapsulated in these memorable quotes.

The great thing about America is I always come back with more books and more tip-offs of who to read. It’s a country in love with crime fiction. Ian Rankin

I’m interested in Scotland now and then, how it’s changed. I want to get the reader to think about that by thinking about something from the past. How has society changed, how has policing changed, have we changed philosophically, psychologically, culturally, spiritually? Ian Rankin

I used to think that: whenever I heard that someone had taken 10 years to write a novel, I’d think it must be a big, serious book. Now I think, ‘No – it took you one year to write, and nine years to sit around eating Kit Kats.’ Ian Rankin

I wrote my first short story for a competition and won second prize. Another competition came up and I won first prize. The first story was published in a newspaper. The second went out on radio. Ian Rankin

A lot of writers, especially crime writers, have an image that we think we’re trying to keep up with. You’ve got to be seen as dark and slightly dangerous. But I’m not like that and I’ve realised that I don’t need to put that on. People will buy the books whether they see a photo of you dressed in black or not. Ian Rankin

You need a great idea, but then you’ve got to carry it through. If you get it right, you’re going to be a critical success. But not everyone who works hard gets it right, or has the success they deserve: there’s an element of luck. Ian Rankin

I’m not Rebus. We’re not the same. I don’t even think he’d like me if we met. He’d think I was a wishy-washy liberal. Ian Rankin

I wrote ‘Knots and Crosses,’ the first of the Rebus books, not even realising that I was writing crime fiction. Ian Rankin

I would have loved to have been a rock n’ roll star. But none of us was musical, and none of us had any instruments. Ian Rankin

Why does any novelist keep writing long after they’ve made money? Because they’ve failed to write the perfect novel. Ian Rankin

I’m not qualified for anything. I’ve had lots of little jobs, like picking grapes and being a tax man. I can’t imagine not writing, because I’ve done it since I was five or six. Maybe I’d work in academia. That’s always what the plan was. Ian Rankin

Writers always think their greatest work is just ahead of them. Ian Rankin

I don’t think I have one particular favourite writer. I have many whose works I will always buy or reread – Muriel Spark, Anthony Powell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ruth Rendell, James Ellroy, William McIlvanney, Kate Atkinson, John Burnside, Louise Welsh, Iain Banks. Ian Rankin

I grew up in a family that was working-class, which taught me to be careful with money. Ian Rankin

The most difficult part of any crime novel is the plotting. It all begins simply enough, but soon you’re dealing with a multitude of linked characters, strands, themes and red herrings – and you need to try to control these unruly elements and weave them into a pattern. Ian Rankin

People aren’t coming to me looking for political essays or polemic – they’re looking for a rattling good story. Ian Rankin

No matter how many awards you’ve won or how many sales you’ve got, come the next book it’s still a blank sheet of paper and you’re still panicking like hell that you’ve got nothing new to say. Ian Rankin

Right from the very beginning, I knew I wanted to write palpably Scottish fiction. Ian Rankin

My mother worked in a school canteen – then worked in the canteen of a chicken factory. Every Friday, the pay packet money would be allocated to cover bills. Ian Rankin

Punk gave you a kind of chutzpah, so even trying to be a writer, I just thought, ‘Well, I’m going to send poems to ‘Radio Times,’ short stories to the ‘Observer,’ just have a go. Ian Rankin

My parents were working class and didn’t have much money, so holidays tended to be two weeks in a caravan at St. Andrews or a B&B in Blackpool. Ian Rankin

In 1991, I won the Chandler Fulbright Prize, which came with $20,000 and the stipulation of spending six months in the U.S. Ian Rankin

My father worked in a grocery store. When the grocery chain went into administration, he eventually got a job in the naval dockyard in an office preparing the charts for the boats and the submarines before they headed out. Ian Rankin

I am, of course, a frustrated rock star – I’d much rather be a rock star than a writer. Or own a record shop. Still, it’s not a bad life, is it? You just sit at a computer and make stuff up. Ian Rankin

‘Jekyll and Hyde’ I read in high school. I was expecting a Hollywood-type horror story and couldn’t believe it when I got this very complex narrative from all these different points of view. Ian Rankin

I still think most writers are just kids who refuse to grow up. We’re still playing imaginary games, with our imaginary friends. Ian Rankin

Being working class, my parents thought, ‘Ian’s going to uni, the first in the family,’ and I’d do dentistry or accountancy. I was going to do accountancy; then I got a C in Economics and thought, ‘Why am I doing this?’ The only thing I was interested in was books and literature. Ian Rankin

I don’t hang out with cops. Ian Rankin

My first novel was turned down by half a dozen publishers. And even after having published five or six books, I wasn’t making enough money to live on, and was beginning to think I’d have to give up the dream of being a full-time writer. Ian Rankin

When I’m writing, I won’t know whodunnit until maybe two thirds of the way through. Until then, I know as little as my detective. I just make it up as I go along. It’s nerve-wracking, actually. You’ll be half through and not know your conclusion. You worry one of these days the ending won’t come. I’ll be left with only two-thirds of a novel. Ian Rankin

I’ve always written. At the age of six or seven, I would get sheets of A4 paper and fold them in half, cut the edges to make a little eight-page booklet, break it up into squares and put in little stick men with little speech bubbles, and I’d have a spy story, a space story and a football story. Ian Rankin

I don’t want the books to become PR exercises for the police; I want to have the freedom to write about cops who cross the line: bad cops. Ian Rankin

I don’t have many friends. It’s not because I’m a misanthrope. It’s because I’m reserved. I’m self-contained. I get all my adventures in my head when I’m writing my books. Ian Rankin

I took the first James Kelman novel, ‘The Bus Conductor Hines’, home to my dad. I thought, ‘My dad will like this; it’s written in Scots.’ But my dad said: ‘I can’t read that.’ He was reading James Bond and John le Carre. That was part of what attracted me to crime – the idea of getting a wide audience. Ian Rankin

When I was in my early 20s and still at uni, I won a short-story competition: ?200 was the prize. Ian Rankin

I have a strong work ethic, yet I’m incredibly lazy as well. The problem with being a writer is that everything you do can be called research. Sitting in the pub is research. Reading the newspaper can be research. Ian Rankin

I wanted to be able to support myself without begging for handouts from the state. All of the writers I knew when I was a student were all getting grants from the Scottish Arts Council. Ian Rankin

I go to Canada at least every two years. Ian Rankin

I think writers have to be proactive: they’ve got to use new technology and social media. Yes, it’s hard to get noticed by traditional publishers, but there’s a great deal of opportunity out there if you’ve got the right story. Ian Rankin

I dunno whether it was to do with my parents – we were working-class – but it was important to me to be self-sufficient. Ian Rankin

At all times, think like a writer, and keep those antennae twitching – that way, you pick up new ideas. Ian Rankin

In real life, writers tend to be quite boring, but in our books, we’re having exciting adventures all the time. Ian Rankin

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

Anton Usov
Anton Usov
I am Anton Usov, an educator with a passion for quotes that resonate with the human experience. Over many years, I have curated a collection that reflects wisdom and emotions across time. Join me in exploring the power of words to inspire and enlighten our paths.
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