Diana Gabaldon Quotes

Powerful Diana Gabaldon for Daily Growth

About Diana Gabaldon

Diana Gabaldon is a renowned Scottish author best known for her epic historical time-travel series, "Outlander." Born on April 18, 1952, in Flagstaff, Arizona, Diana Gabaldon spent the early years of her life traversing various parts of the United States due to her father's job as a professor. This nomadic upbringing nurtured an insatiable curiosity and rich imagination, key elements that would later manifest in her captivating storytelling. In 1964, Gabaldon's family moved to Scotland, where she spent the remainder of her youth. The Scottish Highlands, with their mystical beauty and ancient history, profoundly influenced her writing style. Gabaldon earned a Ph.D. in quantitative behavioral ecology from the University of Edinburgh in 1978. This rigorous academic background underscores the meticulous detail and scholarly accuracy found in her novels. Gabaldon's literary career began unconventionally with a "what-if" question that led to the creation of "Outlander." The first book was published in 1991, and the series now spans eight main installments, including the recent addition, "Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone" (2019). The story follows World War II nurse Claire Randall, who travels back in time to 18th-century Scotland and becomes embroiled in the Jacobite Risings. Apart from "Outlander," Gabaldon has also penned various standalone novels, short stories, and nonfiction works. Her literary prowess has garnered her legions of fans worldwide, and her work has been translated into over 40 languages. The "Outlander" series was adapted into a successful Starz television show in 2014, further expanding Gabaldon's global reach.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The last great dance in a long, long ball."

This quote by Diana Gabaldon suggests that the "long, long ball" refers to a series of events, experiences, or relationships that span an extensive period. The phrase "the last great dance" implies that this grand event or moment is coming to an end. In essence, it conveys the poignant feeling of closure, nostalgia, and perhaps, the bittersweet beauty inherent in the finality of something significant, much like a grand ball's final dance.


"Time travel has a cumulative effect on the fabric of the universe."

This quote suggests that moving through time, like time travel, does not occur without consequence. It implies that each instance of altering the natural flow of events has an impact on the universe as a whole, accumulating change over time. In other words, any deviation from the established timeline may cause unpredictable and long-lasting effects on history and the future.


"Life is like a ball of yarn. The more you unravel, the more there is to unravel."

This quote suggests that as we navigate through life, each action or decision leads us to discover more about ourselves, others, and the world around us. It implies that every answer provided often leads to more questions or complexities, just like unraveling a ball of yarn. It underscores the idea that life is an ongoing process of exploration and self-discovery, where every step we take reveals new layers waiting to be uncovered.


"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."

This quote by Diana Gabaldon emphasizes the importance of personal freedom and self-expression in a repressive or oppressive society. The phrase "absolutely free" suggests an unwavering commitment to individual autonomy, living one's life with integrity, and refusing to be confined by external constraints. By choosing to live freely, one becomes a symbol of rebellion against any system that seeks to control individuals or limit their potential. Essentially, the quote encourages us to live our lives boldly, defying societal norms when necessary, and striving for a life of authenticity and self-determination.


"Knowledge is power, and information is liberating. Education equals freedom."

This quote emphasizes that knowledge and information are crucial tools for empowerment and emancipation. By gaining knowledge, one can increase their own power, making them more capable of making informed decisions and taking control of their lives. Furthermore, education is the key to this process as it disseminates knowledge and facilitates critical thinking skills, ultimately resulting in greater freedom for individuals and communities.


Oh, 'Pandaemonium', by Chris Brookmyre! Just fabulous - such a layered, beautifully structured, engaging, intelligent book. I love all Chris's stuff, but this was remarkable.

- Diana Gabaldon

Love, Book, Intelligent, Engaging

From the late '70s to the early '90s, I wrote anything anybody would pay me for. This ranged from articles on how to clean a longhorn cow's skull for living-room decoration to manuals on elementary math instruction on the Apple II... to a slew of software reviews and application articles done for the computer press.

- Diana Gabaldon

Software, Cow, Anybody, Reviews

There's not a lot of pictorial evidence from the Highlands, because only the very wealthy had their portraits painted - but there is one well-known painting of the two sons of the Duke of Argyll, wearing tartan.

- Diana Gabaldon

Evidence, Very, Well-Known, Duke

Three of the principal cast members of 'Outlander' have come out publically for 'Yes': Sam Heughan, Graham MacTavish and Grant O'Rourke. And the 'Yes' proponents are on fire: idealistic, hopeful, inspired by the idea of change and of democratic self-determination.

- Diana Gabaldon

Idea, Hopeful, Graham, Idealistic

My parents were both born in 1930. They grew up during the Depression. They wanted their children to have secure lives, to have a good salary and a pension plan. If I could've guaranteed that I'd be a best-selling writer, that would've been one thing, but nobody could say that. So I knew better than to say that was ambition.

- Diana Gabaldon

Salary, Been, Secure, Pension

Back in the day, when I was a university professor, I used to teach a class in Human Anatomy and Physiology. This class was popular with the football players, who all took it under the tragic misapprehension that it would be easy.

- Diana Gabaldon

Back, University, Anatomy, Football Players

It's important to remember that the Jacobite Risings of the 18th century constituted a religious civil war, not a nationalistic movement.

- Diana Gabaldon

War, Civil War, Religious, 18th Century

Now I've got a fairly good grasp of the 18th century on what was common and what people thought. But I don't write in order. I write bits and pieces and sort of glue them.

- Diana Gabaldon

Thought, Glue, I Write, 18th Century

If you donate to a charity and save a few kids, 20 years down the line, there will be more people who exist because of you. In other words, you should consider your actions fully.

- Diana Gabaldon

Other, Line, Save, In Other Words

I have all the time and space in the world when I write a book.

- Diana Gabaldon

Book, World, I Write, Time And Space

For months, people have been asking my views about the Scottish independence referendum, and I've been saying, 'It's not my country; I don't live here. Much as I love Scotland, I think it would be inappropriate to express a personal opinion regarding Scottish politics'.

- Diana Gabaldon

Love, Country, Here, Scottish

Orkney has the kind of landscape that sort of lends itself to a relationship with the people. I think that relationship is intensified because of its remoteness and the long periods of time when there was no interaction with other cultures.

- Diana Gabaldon

Think, Other, I Think, Intensified

I've walked on a lot of battlefields. Most of them are not haunted.

- Diana Gabaldon

Most, Lot, Walked, Haunted

It's worth noting that at the time of the American Revolution, no sane person would have given two cents for its success.

- Diana Gabaldon

American, Given, Cents, Noting

Whenever anything bubbles up, I have to put it down. I have bits and pieces all over my hard drive.

- Diana Gabaldon

Down, Over, Bits, Bubbles

I read Tolkien when I was 11. I read 'The Hobbit' and the trilogy on a road trip with my family. I identified with the nonhumans in those books, and it never occurred to me why that was.

- Diana Gabaldon

Why, Read, Occurred, Identified

When' Voyager', the third book of the series, hit the 'New York Times' bestseller list, they very honorably redesigned the covers and started calling them fiction.

- Diana Gabaldon

New, Very, Honorably, Bestseller

I read some books, and I thought, 'This is better than sliced bread!' and a month later, I couldn't remember thinking about it. And I've read others that were kind of a slog, and I've put them down and come back six months later thinking, 'Wow, this is great.' So, you know, things change all the time.

- Diana Gabaldon

Thought, Some, About, Sliced

The thought that you ought not to drink while pregnant came much, much later. In fact, I had my first child in 1982, and I was still told by nurses and so forth, 'Have a glass of wine with dinner. It'll help you relax.'

- Diana Gabaldon

Thought, Fact, Had, Nurses

I grew up in Flagstaff, and I still own my old family house up there, so I go up there a couple of times a month just to sit for a day or two and work without any kind of interruption, and I usually take a dinner break, and I'll watch two hours of DVD.

- Diana Gabaldon

House, Own, Couple, Interruption

There are lines of geomagnetic force running through the Earth's crust, and most of the time, these run in opposing directions - forward and backward. In some places, they deviate and will cross each other, and when that happens, you kind of get a geomagnetic mess going in all different directions. I call these vertices.

- Diana Gabaldon

Through, Some, Other, Deviate

When I turned 35, I thought, 'Mozart was dead at 36, so I set the bar: I'm going to start writing a book on my next birthday.' I thought historical fiction would be easiest because I was a university professor and know my way around a library, and it seemed easier to look things up than make them up.

- Diana Gabaldon

Birthday, Next, Turned, Mozart

I have no objection to well-written romance, but I'd read enough of it to know that that's not what I had written. I also knew that if it was sold as romance I'd never be reviewed by the 'New York Times' or any other literarily respectable newspaper - which is basically true, although the 'Washington Post' did get round to me eventually.

- Diana Gabaldon

Newspaper, Other, Romance, Well-Written

'Rob Roy' was a great adaptation. It was a lot better than 'Braveheart.'

- Diana Gabaldon

Better, Rob, Lot, Roy

People assume that science is a very cold sort of profession, whereas writing novels is a warm and fuzzy intuitive thing. But in fact, they are not at all different.

- Diana Gabaldon

Fact, Profession, Very, Novels

I have friends who are writers who have had movies made of their books, and they are almost uniformly horrified about what's been done - or, at least, dissatisfied.

- Diana Gabaldon

Been, Made, Almost, Dissatisfied

I stagger out of bed, take the dogs outside, and then I'll get a Diet Coke and a couple of dog biscuits and go upstairs. By the time I've consumed my Diet Coke and had a quick run through the morning email and Twitter feed, I will probably be compos mentis enough to work.

- Diana Gabaldon

Bed, Through, Consumed, Stagger

I was 35, had always wanted to write novels, and thought that I had better do it while I was young enough.

- Diana Gabaldon

Better, Always, Wanted, Novels

The only thing I knew about novels from a technical point of view was that they should have conflict.

- Diana Gabaldon

Point Of View, Technical, Novels

I don't plan the books ahead of time. It's not like Harry Potter. I don't work in a straight line. I don't write with an outline.

- Diana Gabaldon

Ahead, Like, Straight Line, Potter

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