Elizabeth studied the blurry tabloid photo, which showed her cousin Mary Stuart leaving a Paris disco at dawn, drunkenly clinging to the arm of a French tennis pro. The message was very clear. Put passion first and you end up neither loved nor respected.

In my opinion, moderation is a vastly overrated virtue, particularly when applied to work

The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make to them; a man may live long, yet get little from life. Whether you find satisfaction in life depends not on your tale of years, but on your will - Montaigne, Essays

It's different when the person you love dies. There's an awful finality to death. But it is final. The end. And there's the funeral, family gatherings, grieving, all of those necessary rituals. And they help, believe me. When the object of your love just disappears, there's no way to deal with the grief and pain.

Even the most powerful woman needs a place to unwind.

If anyone asks me whether I like being a popular writer, I ask them whether they think I'd rather be an unpopular writer.

A person with taste is merely one who can recognize the greatest beauty in the simplest things.