In Holland and Belgium, and afterwards in England, my happiest moments were in the country. I've always had a passion for the outdoors, for trees, for birds and flowers.

My greatest ambition is to have a career without becoming a career woman.

When you have nobody you can make a cup of tea for, when nobody needs you, that's when I think life is over.

Gardening is the greatest tonic and therapy a human being can have. Even if you have only a tiny piece of earth, you can create something beautiful, which we all have a great need for. If we begin by respecting plants, it's inevitable we'll respect people.

You can always tell what kind of a person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you.

Have we forgotten about the children, and thus forsaken the next generation?

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.