There is something hugely civilised about allowing long pauses in a conversation. Very few people can stand that kind of silence.

The dead hand has too long hampered the freedom of the living.

When we're in the story, when we're part of it, we can't know the outcome. It's only later that we think we can see what the story was. But do we ever really know? And does anybody else, perhaps, coming along a little later, does anybody else really care? ... History is written by the survivors, but what is that history? That's the point I was trying to make just now. We don't know what the story is when we're in it, and even after we tell it we're not sure. Because the story doesn't end.

[M]ost people go through life a wee bit disappointed in themselves. I think we all keep a memory of a moment when we missed someone or something, when we could have gone down another path, a happier or better or just a different path. Just because they're in the past doesn't mean you can't treasure the possibilities ... maybe we put down a marker for another time. And now's the time. Now we can do whatever we want to do.

I prefer the pen. There is something elemental about the glide and flow of nib and ink on paper.

It might be tough, but my dad used to say, tough times don't last — tough people do.

There is something hugely civilised about allowing long pauses in a conversation. Very few people can stand that kind of silence.