Parents shouldn't assume children are made out of sugar candy and will break and collapse instantly. Kids don't. We do.

The magic of childhood is the strangeness of childhood — the uniqueness that makes us see things that other people don't see.

I do not remember any proper children's books in my childhood. I was not exposed to them.

Life has only gotten better personally for me as I've gotten older. I mean, being young was such a gross waste of time. I was just such a miserable, miserable person.

I know that if there’s a purpose for life, it was for me to hear Mozart.

I thought that if I were going into old age I would want to do what [Giuseppe] Verdi did, which is to write extraordinary things, and to really find myself.

I stress character, character, character.