That's what's so stupid about the whole magic thing, you know. You spend twenty years learning the spell that makes nude virgins appear in your bedroom, and then you're so poisoned by quicksilver fumes and half-blind from reading old grimoires that you can't remember what happens next.

They obeyed, as wise men do when a woman puts her foot down . . .

There's a lot of science in it, and as Slartibartfast [in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] said: 'I am a great fan of science, but I cannot do a quadratic equation.' I've never, ever been able to do one. I remember one occasion at Warwick University, when Jack and Ian were at their wits' end because I couldn't get it. I felt totally ashamed.

Sometimes I feel that the world is made up of sensible people who know the plot and bloody idiots who don't.

I think," he said, "I think, if you want thousands, you have to fight for one.

Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken.

I don’t think it's weak to admit you made a mistake. That takes strength, if you ask me.