Increase your word power. Words are the raw material of our craft. The greater your vocabulary the more ­effective your writing. We who write in English are fortunate to have the richest and most versatile language in the world. Respect it.

I don't want anyone to look to me, not for protection, not for happiness, not for love, not for anything.

Every island to a child is a treasure island.

There are few couples as unhappy as those who are too proud to admit their unhappiness.

Early this morning, 1 January 2021, three minutes after midnight, the last human being to be born on earth was killed in a pub brawl in a suburb of Buenos Aires, aged twenty-five years, two months and twelve days.

Don't just plan to write - write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.

We English are good at forgiving our enemies; it releases us from the obligation of liking our friends.