Most of my life I have needed more time to be on my own.

There are two options for any society: total prohibition as in a totalitarian state, or total license. Both avoid the ardours of decision. Both have the attraction of certainty. The difficult option is to decide where the line should be drawn and this, surely, is the responsiblity of any civilized and democratic country.

There is no point in regretting any part of the past. The past can't now be altered, the future has yet to be lived, and consciously to experience every moment of the present is the only way to gain at least the illusion of immortality.

I knew the facts of death before I knew the facts of life. There never was a time when I didn't see the skull beneath the skin.

A regime which combines perpetual surveillance with total indulgence is hardly conducive to healthy development.

The secret of contentment is never to allow yourself to want anything which reason tells you you haven't a chance of getting.

Childhood is the one prison from which there's no escape, the one sentence from which there's no appeal. We all serve our time.