Look, he said to his imagination, if this is how you're going to behave, I shan't bring you again.

And all the stories had, somewhere, the witch. The wicked old witch. And Tiffany had thought: Where's the evidence?

Nanny's philosophy of life was to do what seemed like a good idea at the time, and do it as hard as possible. It had never let her down.

Open your eyes and then open your eyes again.

I would like to die peacefully with Thomas Tallis on my iPod before the disease takes me over and I hope that will not be for quite some time to come, because if I knew that I could die at any time I wanted, then suddenly every day would be as precious as a million pounds, if I knew that I could die, I would live. My life, my death, my choice.

Seeing, contrary to popular wisdom, isn't believing. It's where belief stops, because it isn't needed any more.

Inside every lump of coal there's a diamond waiting to get out.