In my stories, whenever there's somebody wonderful and charming and bright and intelligent, that's me!

I'm getting better, happier, and nicer as I grow older, so I would be terrific in a couple of hundred years time.

I don't have ugly ducklings turning into swans in my stories. I have ugly ducklings turning into confident ducks.

The whole art of life is knowing the right time to say things.

You say to yourself: 'What could people, in all these countries, find in my books?' and yet I think we're all the same, anywhere. Everybody is a hero or a dramatic person in their own story if you just know where to look.

The most important thing to realize is that everyone is capable of telling a story.

Of course I wanted children. Bright, gorgeous, loving children. I could almost see them.