International business, once allowed to stalk uncontrolled, killed the local, the small, the quirky.

I have three older sisters, so we were a reasonably large family and, in general, a happy one.

Old friends, like old shoes, are comfortable. But old shoes, unlike old friends, tend not to be supportive: it is easier to stumble and sprain an ankle while wearing a pair of old shoes than it is in new shoes, with their less yielding leather.

One of the most destructive things that's happening in modern society is that we are losing our sense of the bonds that bind people together - which can lead to nightmares of social collapse.

That my philosophy of life is, as far as possible, one of enjoyment. I'm not nihilistic.

It would be wonderful to have a guru; it would be like having a social worker or a personal trainer, not that people who had either of these necessarily appreciated the advice they received.

It is sometimes easier to be happy if you don't know everything.