Reality television, which turned its eye on people who were doing nothing but being themselves, was the perfect expression of this trend [of narcissism]. Let's look at ourselves, it said. Aren't we fascinating?

The point about love, the essential point, was that we loved what we loved. We did not choose. We just loved.

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

It was the same with friendship. Disagreement between friends and spouses, too had to be carefully handled. If the time you spent with friends was consumed by disagreement, then there was no room for the essence of friendship, which was a sharing of the world. And that sharing involved seeing things the same way, or at least seeing things through the eyes of the friend.

I have always taken the view that one should never hold against a man anything he says after twelve o'clock at night or after a glass or two of anything.

I cannot see myself in a new car. I am a tiny white van person. That is what i want!

I'm very interested in tea. I wouldn't mind being involved in some aspect of the tea industry.