Mother used to say it meant Christopher was a nice name because it was a story about being kind and helpful, but I do not want my name to mean a story about being kind and helpful. I want my name to mean me.

At twenty life was like wrestling an octopus. Every moment mattered. At thirty it was a walk in the country. Most of the time your mind was somewhere else. By the time you got to seventy, it was probably like watching snooker on the telly.

And what he meant was that maths wasn't like life because in life there are no straightforward answers in the end

Children simply don't make the distinction; a book is either good or bad. And some of the books they think are good are very, very bad indeed.

If you enjoy math and you write novels, it's very rare that you'll get a chance to put your math into a novel. I leapt at the chance.

How pleased we are to have our eyes opened but how easily we close them again.

..and only sticks and stones can break my bones.