Writers obviously have to bear witness to the harsh face of the age.

Self-pity does not appreciate pedantry.

Do not take on a traditionally built person unless you are prepared for a heavyweight bout.

My parents were very supportive and always encouraged us. My father was a gentle, nice man. My mother was quite a colourful character and a keen reader who encouraged me to write.

I would certainly never consider myself a Renaissance Man; I'm not fit to look at the dust from the chariot wheels of many of those who have gone before me.

It's a different sort of love taht puts up with illness. Old love.

We don't forget.... Our heads may be small, but they are as full of memories as the sky may sometimes be full of swarming bees, thousands and thousands of memories, of smells, of places, of little things that happened to us and which came back, unexpectedly, to remind us who we are.