Any visitor to an historic country town or city quickly becomes aware in his or her peregrinations that the most attractive houses in the centre are invariably the offices of lawyers.

Suicide is the most private and mysterious of acts, inexplicable because the chief actor is never there to explain it.

Can we ever break free of the devices and desires of our own hearts? Might not our conscience be telling us what we most want to hear?

Every island to a child is a treasure island.

If this were fiction, could even the most brilliant novelist contrive to make credible so short a period in which pride had been subdued and prejudice overcome?

We who write in English are fortunate to have the richest and most versatile language in the world. Respect it.

It's easy to get a reputation for wisdom. It's only necessary to live long, speak little and do less.