Desperation, weakness, vulnerability - these things will always be exploited. You need to protect the weak, ring-fence them, with something far stronger than empathy.

Life’s not a video game, Felix- there aren’t a certain number of points that send you to the next level. There isn’t actually any next level. The bad news is that everybody dies at the end. Game Over.

Work on a computer that is disconnected from the ­internet.

'A reality shaped around your own desires' - there is something sociopathic in that ambition.

If you're going to write a good book, you have to make mistakes and you have to not be so cautious all the time.

The library was the place I went to find out what there was to know. It was absolutely essential.

They had nothing to say to each other. A five-year age gap between siblings is like a garden that needs constant attention. Even three months apart allows the weeds to grow up between you.