An Irishman will always soften bad news, so that a major coronary is no more than 'a bad turn' and a near hurricane that leaves thousands homeless is 'good drying weather'.

I think with every writer there are two people there.

My wife and I have enjoyed over forty years of wedded blitz.

We are all the foolishness and all the crimes we did. We're also all the kindnesses we did. I hate to think of life as if we understood time. We don't understand time.

Gossip is more popular than literature.

In life there exist two classes: first class and no class.

I'm a much nicer person since my wife died. I found out what pain is, so on that level I'm much nicer.