I'm not very interested in myself. I do have a deep moral belief that you should always look out at other things and not be self-centred.

I cannot bear not to know the end of a tale. I will read the most trivial things – once commenced – only out of a feverish greed to be able to swallow the ending – sweet or sour – and to be done with what I need never have embarked on. Are you in my case? Or are you a more discriminating reader? Do you lay aside the unprofitable?

I think the virtue I prize above all others is curiosity.

A surprising number of people - including many students of literature - will tell you they haven't really lived in a book since they were children.

You can understand a lot about yourself by working out which fairytale you use to present your world to yourself in.

Mine the long night The secret place Where lovers meet In long embrace In purple dark In silvered kiss Forget the world And grasp your bliss

Once you get older, people stop listening to what you say. It's very agreeable once you get used to it.