Quotes by Hugh MacDiarmid

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Football fanaticism and high intellect seldom go together.
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The number of people who can copulate properly may be few; the number who can write well are infinitely fewer.
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Scotland small? Our multiform, infinite Scotland SMALL?
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In spite of all their kind some elements of worth With difficulty persist here and there on earth.
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Our principal writers have nearly all been fortunate in escaping regular education.
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It is time we in Scotland put England in its proper place and instead of our leaning on England and taking inspiration from her, we should lean and turn to Europe, for it is there our future prosperity lies.
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There are plenty of ruined buildings in the world but no ruined stones.
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The [Second World] war may thus have acted as a forcing-bed, bringing to somewhat speedier development what was already securely rooted in the circumstances of our nation; and in this sense it may, perhaps, be said that: "The Scottish Renaissance was conceived in the First World War and sprang into lusty life in the Second World War.