The email of the species is deadlier than the mail.

One of the nice things about looking at a bear is that you know it spends 100 per cent of every minute of every day being a bear. It doesn't strive to become a better bear. It doesn't go to sleep thinking, "I wasn't really a very good bear today". They are just 100 per cent bear, whereas human beings feel we're not 100 per cent human, that we're always letting ourselves down. We're constantly striving towards something, to some fulfilment

The part of [Oscar] Wilde was exceptionally important to me; the man, his achievements, his wisdom, but his downfall, his disgrace and the tragic and bitter end to it have always fascinated, appalled and attracted me since childhood. It was he who first in some measure vindicated my sexuality.

It is a cliche that most cliches are true, but then like most cliches, that cliche is untrue.

...the reality of intelligent British speech... uses blasphemus, coital and cloacal expletives as a matter of course.

I've never had any illusions about being a lead actor in films, because lead actors have to be of a certain kind.

There's no doubt that I do have extremes of mood that are greater than just about anybody else I know.