The church has no power over our lives any more, which is something of a blessing for those who do not enjoy red-hot pokers or iron thumb-screws.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will always hurt me. Bones mend and become actually stronger in the very place they were broken and where they have knitted up; mental wounds can grind and ooze for decades and be re-opened by the quietest whisper.

It was as if he grew his hair long and smoked cigarettes because he liked to, not because he liked being seen to. This was dangerously subversive.

Having a great intellect is no path to being happy.

Nudity is a deep worry if you have a body like a bin bag full of yoghurt, which I have.

People who can change and change again are so much more reliable and happier than those who can’t

I like to wake up each morning and not know what I think, that I may reinvent myself in some way.