I suppose I have a highly developed capacity for self-delusion, so it's no problem for me to believe that I'm somebody else.

When I was younger, I made some decisions that I shouldn't have. And, in hindsight, I've almost always been wrong when I haven't listened to myself.

If you remain unsettled by a piece of writing, it means you are not watching the story from the outside; you've already taken a step toward it.

My main memories of my father are of his illness.

When it comes to parenthood everyone thinks they will be terrible at it. We don't think we have it in us. Then you find out that you do, which truly is a miracle in life.

My life is devoted to self-delusion - and I have a great capacity for that - but it's the thing that gives me the most pleasure, so I can't complain about it.

The one thing that I appear to have been given, bearing in mind that I am capable of being very, very scatty and extremely lazy, is the ability to concentrate on something I choose to give my time to.