I am not altogether confident of my ability to put my thoughts into words: My texts are usually better after an editor has hacked away at them, and I am used to both editing and being edited. Which is to say that I am not oversensitive in such matters.

Nobody can avoid falling in love. They might want to deny it, but friendship is probably the most common form of love.

I have a truly marvellous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain.

Your job description as a journalist is to question and scrutinize critically-neve r to repeat claims uncritically, no matter how highly placed the sources in the bureaucracy. Don't ever forget that. You're a damn good writer, but that talent is completely worthless if you forget your job description.

Everyone has secrets. It's just a matter of finding out what they are

What she had realised was that love was that moment when your heart was about to burst.

He's pulling the load of an ox and walking on eggshells.