Where there is love there is courage, where there is courage there is peace, where there is peace there is God. And when you have God, you have everything.

Aid workers, when handing out food to starving people, quickly learn that the people fighting for it at the front are the people who need it least. It's the people sitting quietly at the back, too weak to fight, who need it the most. And so too with tragedy.

A journalist also needs to be disciplined, and so do I. I am, essentially, lazy. Without discipline I'd be just a mass of gummy bears on the sofa instead of on book tour with my eighth novel.

Or - perhaps - I should just worry about my own behavior and let others be who they are.

But, like peace, comfort didn't come from hiding away or running away. Comfort first demanded courage.

Winning doesn't mean my book is better than anyone else's. It means I'm very fortunate. And I should be very, very aware of that. And grateful.

When someone stabs you it's not your fault that you feel pain.