Edinburgh is alive with words.

It is through our extended family that we first learn to compromise and come to an understanding that even if we don't always agree about things we can still love and look out for each other.

I always thought that bagels and lox was my soul food, but it turns out it's sushi.

Something I notice speaking to writers from south of Hadrians Wall is that the culture is different. At base, I think Scotland values its creative industries differently from England.

I jealously guard my research time and I love fully immersing myself in those dusty old books and papers. It's one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.

The sky was a sparkling succession of black diamonds on black velvet made crystal clear by the blackout.

I believe the era of the militant lady is back.

Without archives many stories of real people would be lost, and along with those stories, vital clues that allow us to reflect and interpret our lives today.

Research material can turn up anywhere - in a dusty old letter in an archive, a journal or some old photographs you find in a charity shop.

Writers of novels live in a strange world where what's made up is as important as what's real.

Books have a vital place in our culture. They are the source of ideas, of stories that engage and stretch the imagination and most importantly, inspire.

Science is a way to call the bluff of those who only pretend to knowledge. It is a bulwark against mysticism, against superstition, against religion misapplied to where it has no business being.

You may not be able to change the world for the better, but the world is able to change you for the worst, don't give them the rock you stand on.

Existentialism's first move is to make every man aware of what he is and to make the full responsibility of his existence rest on him.

That girl is a grade one a-hole with a severe attitudinal problem.

I grew up with lacrosse in my life because my dad played lacrosse all throughout college, so I grew up with the gear in my house - like the sticks, the helmet.

Again, most of the chief distinctions marked by economic terms are differences not of kind but of degree.

I went into acting because I'm easily bored. Acting seemed to give vent to a lot of different feelings.

Women who are too easy to attract are perceived as less desirable.

I moved to LA and decided to do films and television, mainly because the theater in New York is totally dead.

It may well be that creativity is the last unfair advantage we're legally allowed to take over our competitors.