Outlander tops list as most sharable book quote

The poll, part of Book Week Scotland, attracted almost 1000 votes, with the Outlander series coming out overwhelmingly on top.

Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan playing Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser in Outlander

Book lovers from around the world got involved, with votes coming in from 20 different countries, including New Zealand and Russia.

The top three quotes come from Outlander, Sunset Song and The Twits. The top three voting countries were the UK, USA and Canada. Members of the public were invited to submit their quote selections, from any book written at any time by any author, to a long list, which was then whittled down to a shortlist of 40 quotes by a panel of Scottish Book Trust staff. The shortlisted quotes were carefully selected in an attempt to reflect the depth and breadth of the long list.

1. I am your master...and you’re mine. Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own.

A line from Outlander was voted the most shareable book quote ina new survey. Picture: Rob McDougall

Outlander Vol. 1, Diana Gabaldon - with 31 per cent share of the votes

2. You hated the land and the coarse speak of the folk and learning was brave and fine one day and the next you’d waken with the peewits crying across the hills, deep and deep, crying in the heart of you and the smell of the earth in your face, almost you’d cry for that, the beauty of it and the sweetness of the Scottish land and skies.

Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon – with 8 per cent share of the votes

3. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

The Twits, Roald Dahl – with 7 per cent share of the votes

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: “Book Week Scotland is a great opportunity for people of all ages to come together in our schools, libraries, communities and workplaces to celebrate reading and literature. As part of this year’s Book Week Scotland, there has been the chance to vote for a favourite quote from a book. This is an excellent example of what books can give us – the few words of a familiar quote can transport us back to a time or place; give us strength or comfort or simply make us want to return to that book and read it again. The top three, Diana Gabaldon, Lewis Grassic Gibbon and Roald Dahl, show the diverse range of authors who were included and clearly captured the imaginations of those who voted.”

Marc Lambert, Director of Scottish Book Trust, said: “The top 3 quotes are undoubtedly a mix of very different genres, but it is interesting to see that the most popular quotes are united in their articulation of sincere, strong emotions (the type that often resist words). Readers are drawn to books that resonate with them, which help them make sense of what they are feeling, or the world around them, and it is no surprise that they should also be drawn to quotes which express difficult concepts in clear, poetic language.

“It is no surprise to see Diana Gabaldon at the top of this list – her fan-base is huge, loyal and fantastically supportive of the ‘Outlander’ series of books, which are meticulously researched and have done wonders for Scottish tourism over the past few years. I’m also delighted to see a Scottish author sitting at number two – despite being written over 80 years ago, Grassic Gibbon’s personal and social observations still touch a chord with many people the world over. And at number three, the master of words himself, Roald Dahl. It is a rare author who can stand the test of time, but Dahl proves his enduring appeal by appearing in these lists time and again.”

THE TOP 10 QUOTES


1. I am your master...and you’re mine. Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own.

Outlander Vol. 1, Diana Gabaldon

2. You hated the land and the coarse speak of the folk and learning was brave and fine one day and the next you’d waken with the peewits crying across the hills, deep and deep, crying in the heart of you and the smell of the earth in your face, almost you’d cry for that, the beauty of it and the sweetness of the Scottish land and skies.

Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon

3. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

The Twits, Roald Dahl

4. You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

And Still I Rise, Maya Angelou

5. It was the day my grandmother exploded.

The Crow Road, Iain Banks

6. The dead don’t go till you do, loved ones.

The dead are still here holding our hands.

Darling, Jackie Kay

7. The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.

The Little White Bird, JM Barrie

8. Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, JK Rowling

9. It is only with the heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.

The Little Prince, Antoine de St Exupéry

10. You suffer from the oldest delusion in politics. You think you can change the world by talking to a leader. Leaders are the effects, not the causes of changes.

Lanark, Alasdair Gray