Sometimes if you want to know for sure whether the stove is hot, the only way to find out is to touch it.

Writing is showbusiness for shy people. That's how I see it.

What do I miss about the UK? Sadly, almost nothing. Maybe the midnight sun, in June in the north. That's all.

Hit them fast, hit them hard, and hit them a lot.

I'd never believed in luck. Never had any cause to. Never relied on it, because I never could.

The first day of the rest of my life.

People spend thousands of dollars on stereos. Sometimes tens of thousands. There is a specialist industry right here in the States which builds stereo gear to a standard you wouldn't believe. Tubed amplifiers which cost more than a house. Speakers taller than me. Cables thicker than a garden hose. Some army guys had that stuff. I'd heard it on bases around the world. Wonderful. But they were wasting their money. Because the best stereo in the world is free. Inside your head. It sounds as good as you want it to. As loud as you want it to be.