[...] I suppose this was the first time I had ever felt an urge not to be. Never an urge to die, far less an urge to put an end to myself - simply an urge not to be. This disgusting, hostile and unlovely world was not made for me, nor I for it. It was alien to me and I to it.

I certainly don't want to be formulaic. I want to be honest and authentic and everything else.

I was born Mary Patterson, but then I married and naturally took my husband's name, so now I'm Neil Patterson.

There's nothing worse than the British in one of their fits of morality.

I do believe that almost everything I do is based on my feelings, not on my intellect. Though But we won't chase ourselves up the particular sentiment, or we'll get lost.

Many people would no more think of entering journalism than the sewage business - which at least does us all some good.

I've always had great respect for Paddington because he is amusingly English and eccentric. He is a great British institution and my generation grew up with the books and then Michael Horden's animations.