I believe the world of the spirit is in general greatly neglected and not at all served by the practice of faith as we know it, because religion isn't individual enough.

Every pain is a lesson.

Writers have opinions - that, in part, is why they write. Therefore they have strong likes and dislikes.

The human face does not always reflect the beauty that may repose in the soul.

For a startling period of my life, I reported the Troubles in Ireland for the BBC. I lived in Dublin and was called out to all sorts of incidents that, if taken together, add up to a war - bombings, assassinations, riots, shootings, robberies, jailbreaks, kidnappings, and sieges.

Do you know what the difference is between Friendship and Love? Friendship is the photograph, Love is the oil painting.

There are some places you love with your heart, and there are some places that you love with your mind- the places that you love with both are called 'libraries'

I'd have to struggle to find a subject in which I can't get some kind of interested pulse started.

Marriage is the gold standard of all relationships. It's the currency by which everything is valued.

Stick a lighted candle up your backside to give yourself that inner glow.

Find your soul and you'll live. Lose your soul and you'll die.

The difference between a friend and an enemy is friendliness.

As an arts journalist in London, working mainly for the BBC, I interviewed hundreds if not thousands of authors. From them I gleaned a great deal of passing instruction in writing and I observed one fascinating detail: no two writers approach their work - physically - in the same way.