Before the mind snaps, or the heart breaks, it gather itself like a clock about to strike. It might even be said one pulls himself together to disintegrate.

We know the human brain is a device to keep the ears from grating on one another.

I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.

I wondered whether any woman could be happy with a man who says 'folderol'.

Confession is good for the soul only in the sense that a tweed coat is good for dandruff - it is a palliative rather than a remedy.

You can make a sordid thing sound like a brilliant drawing-room comedy. Probably a fear we have of facing up to the real issues. Could you say we were guilty of Noel Cowardice?

Celibacy is the worst form of self-abuse.