In "The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine," Alexander McCall Smith emphasizes the importance of not jumping to conclusions about cause and effect. He cautions readers against assuming that just because one event follows another, the first event is responsible for the second. This perspective encourages critical thinking and careful consideration of relationships between events.

The quote serves as a reminder to approach situations with an open mind and to explore all possible explanations before determining causality. It highlights the complexity of life and the necessity of understanding that correlations can occur without a direct link, urging individuals to think deeply and critically about their observations.