I am vain, or once was, and one of my vanities was to feign that I was not.

Giving anyone anything takes courage, since so many presents backfire. A gift conspicuously at odds with your tastes serves only to betray that the benefactor has no earthly clue who you are.

I am in flight from my story every day, and it dogs me like a faithful stray.

I have no end of failings as a mother, but I have always followed the rules.

Half an ear cocked, something in me, all night, every night, is waiting for you to come home.

We need to recognise that slowing population growth is one of the most cost-effective and reliable ways of easing pressure on our environment and securing a sustainable future for us all

People seem to get used to anything, and it is a short step from adaptation to attachment.