I am happy being what I am.

There are probably more annoying things than being hectored about African development by a wealthy Irish rock star in a cowboy hat, but I can't think of one at the moment.

The amount of hassle involved in travel can be overwhelming.

Friendship is also about liking a person for their failings, their weakness. It's also about mutual help, not about exploitation.

You can't write about a friend, you can only write about a former friend.

Notice how many of the Olympic athletes effusively thanked their mothers for their success? “She drove me to my practice at four in the morning,” etc. Writing is not figure skating or skiing. Your mother will not make you a writer. My advice to any young person who wants to write is: leave home.

Even if I were traveling with you, your trip would not be mine.