We who were born were not witnesses to our birth: like death, it is something we are forever after trying to catch sight of.

There is always shame in the creation of an expressive work, whether it's a book or a clay pot. Every artist worries about how they will be seen by others through their work. When you create, you aspire to do justice to yourself, to remake yourself, and there is always the fear that you will expose the very thing that you hoped to transform.

I suppose, I said, it is one definition of love, the belief in something that only the two of you can see.

I absolutely don't dislike children - I would choose their company over adult company any time.

Having your second child, in case you were wondering, is a lot harder than having your first, except for those people who find it easier. I'm afraid I don't have the latest figures to confirm this.

Help is dangerous because it exists outside the human economy: the only payment for help is gratitude.

The creativity of childhood was often surrendered amid feelings of unworthiness. So the idea that ­others are demanding to be given it back - to be "taught" - is disturbing.