I am fascinated by all the new technology that creates places for us to meet in what is called cyberspace. I understand what it must have meant for the rebellions in the 19th century, especially in 1830 and 1848, when the mass circulated newspaper became so important for the spreading of information.

Although I never marched through the streets shouting for Mao, I do believe that the liberation of China at the end of the 1940s was a wonderful thing and to provide its people with a billion pairs of shoes and trousers was a fantastic achievement.

Novels are . . . an unsurpassed form to understand people.

To grow up is to wonder about things; to be grown up is to slowly forget the things you wondered about as a child.

Dreams can be of value even if you don’t have an opportunity to turn them into reality.

I love Sherlock Holmes. There's still an awful lot to steal from Conan Doyle. But within a tradition you can work in many different ways.

You can have more than one home. You can carry your roots with you, and decide where they grow.