“Gracious acceptance is an art - an art which most never bother to cultivate. We think that we have to learn how to give, but we forget about accepting things, which can be much harder than giving.... Accepting another person's gift is allowing him to express his feelings for you.”

Rhodesian, Zimbabwean, and Scottish legal scholar and novelist

Sir Alexander McCall Smith is a Rhodesian, Zimbabwean, and Scottish legal scholar and writer of fiction. Born and raised in Southern Rhodesia, he taught medical law at the University of Edinburgh and built a career in law and bioethics before becoming widely known as a novelist. He became an expert in medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees in those fields. He is best known as the creator of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, and his fiction has sold widely in English and been translated into many languages.