Whenever I'm out-of-doors and find myself wanting to have a first-rate think, I fling myself down on my back, throw my arms and legs out so that I look like an asterisk, and gaze at the sky.

TV and film taught me to think cinematically. Teaching others to edit, for example, provides a great deal of insight into the millions of ways in which given elements can be put together to tell a story.

I was learning that among friends, a smile can be better than a belly laugh.

Whenever I'm with other people, part of me shrinks a little. Only when I am alone can I fully enjoy my own company.

I'm at that age where I watch such things with two minds, one that cackles at these capers and another that never gets much beyond a rather jaded and self-conscious smile, like the Mona Lisa.

Liberals have always been the most fervent Imperialists.

I always knew that I wanted to work on my own material - something that would be more long-lasting than short-lived electronic transmissions.