I assemble my ideas in pieces on a computer file, then gradually find a place for them on a piece of scaffolding I erect.

We read the weird tales in newspapers to crowd out the even weirder stuff inside us.

The largest part of what we call 'personality' is determined by how we've opted to defend ourselves against anxiety and sadness".

Do you love me enough that I may be weak with you? Everyone loves strength, but do you love me for my weakness? That is the real test.

One of our major flaws, and causes of unhappiness, is that we find it hard to take note of appreciate and be grateful for what is always around us. We suffer because we lose sight of the value of what is before us and yearn, often unfairly, for the imagined attraction elsewhere.

Let's say you went to Harvard or Oxford or Cambridge, and you said, 'I've come here because I'm in search of morality, guidance and consolation; I want to know how to live,' - they would show you the way to the insane asylum.

You need a long hard day's work to reveal the logic of the craving for very bad tv and alcohol.