I kept starting 'Anansi Boys' as a movie and stopping, and eventually wrote the novel and was happy.

The war had begun and nobody saw it. The storm was lowering and nobody knew it.

Name the different kinds of people,’ said Miss Lupescu. ‘Now.’ Bod thought for a moment. ‘The living,’ he said. ‘Er. The dead.’ He stopped. Then, ‘... Cats?’ he offered, uncertainly.

There's none so blind as those who will not listen.

There's not much high and low culture any more: there's just mingling streams of art and what matters is whether it's good art or bad art.

I think you have to accept that an artist also has a relationship with his or her art and his or her fans: you are in an open relationship whether you like it or not. Give the artist room to go into the place they create (literally or metaphorically) . And love them when they can't remember where they put their keys.

When the first living thing existed, I was there waiting. When the last living thing dies, my job will be finished. I'll put the chairs on the tables, turn out the lights and lock the universe behind me when I leave.