I don't really know what Americans are like. I've no idea. I know a few things about them. In my imagination, they have warm peachy hearts, whereas the English have horrible spiteful withered hearts - success in England inspires envy - in America, it inspires hope.

People are obsessed by happiness, but there are a lot of other invigorating experiences available.

I am desperate for attention. But everyone else is too. Everyone has fantasies of fame and greatness. Life for most people is a process of shedding those fantasies.

I keep the shutters closed because I like to work in a hermetic environment. I like mirrors. When you look out of the window, all you see is ugliness, but when you look in the mirror all you see is beauty.

I have wanted only one thing to make me happy. That thing is everything.

But really death seems the least awful thing that can happen to someone

We build our character as a carapace to keep away the fear of the abyss. That's what our character is for.