In retirement Gordon Stott published three volumes of extracts from the diaries he had been keeping throughout his legal career.

[1][2][3] He was a pacifist, and during World War II he was a conscientious objector, working on the land as alternative to military service.

[1][3][4] He was a founder member of the Muir Society of Labour Lawyers and secretary of the Edinburgh and District Trades Council.

[1][3] Stott was friendly and compassionate, with a plain-spoken and independent manner that showed little tolerance for hypocrisy.

[3] Of the government of which he had been a member he wrote "On Vietnam the Government gave the appearance of being committed to support the United States whose bombing aeroplanes continued for no intelligible purpose to lavish on that unfortunate country an increasingly powerful but futile demonstration of the American way of death".

[3] Stott later said "... the First Division of the Court of Session fell on evil days and there were some atrocious decisions.