Familiarity breeds sentiment before contempt.

Not every child takes instantly to books like a duck to water, but I don’t believe there are children who hate books. There are just children who haven’t yet found the right books for them.

As ever, Morpurgo's warmth and humanity suffuse a story of courage, love and hope.

Every profession is an island whose inhabitants earn a precarious living by taking in each other’s washing.

Mostly, what people mean by love is laziness.

There was a certain usefulness in having a husband whom most people could barely tolerate: it deflected envy, for one thing.

It’s all biology. If it weren’t for two thousand years of the Christian tradition we wouldn’t think of pretending otherwise…Romance is the true opiate of the masses.

Some people, perhaps those with more dignity and less rage gnawing at the roots of their being, are nicer as failures, For me, it was like descending a deep pit that had no bottom

That is the worst thing about despair: it is not constant, any more than love is.

Very happy or unhappy, people disappear.

You know the only rule you need to know to get on in this country? ‘Never complain, never explain.

Attitude distinguishes between a winner and a loser.

It's kind of spooky when you are caught talking to God everybody thinks you're nuts. They used to call you a prophet.

Test.” Hades’ lovely mouth twisted bitterly around the word, as if he could read Helen’s thoughts and agreed with her. “If life is a test, then who do you think grades it?”“You?” she guessed.

I try my damnedest to quirk up anything that Im in.

As a matter of fact we have to take special precautions during a battle to post police, to prevent more unwounded men than are necessary from accompanying a wounded man back from the firing line.

I am a sort of vampire, taking the blood of other people.

I would read the atlas for pleasure. I knew it was weird. It was weird.

And I think for some - not all - but for some Democrats, the issue of immigration is better politically if they just leave it the way it is now because they can use it against Republicans.

Good order and discipline in any army are to be depended upon more than courage alone.

The Process of becoming unstuck requires tremendous bravery, because basically we are completely changing our way of perceiving reality.