He was one of those characters who felt that a weak handshake could somehow damage his authority, which meant that every handshake had to bloody hurt.

Human beings are pattern-seeking animals. It's part of our DNA. That's why conspiracy theories and gods are so popular: we always look for the wider, bigger explanations for things.

Who do you think's after you, Shane, my lad? Or is it just the dark you're afeared of?

more guilt, guilt, guilt. That's the Irish condition.

It is better to pray than panic.

Number rules the universe.

I believe that cinema picks up ideas from society and not the other way round.

My favourite things are jokes, friendliness and feeling comfortable.

This crusade is much more important than the anti- lynching movement, because there would be no lynching if it did not start in the schoolroom.

The more I know about men the more I like dogs.

Speech is the organ of this present world. Silence is the mystery of the world to come.

All a musician can do is to get closer to the source.

Aunt Mimi possessed a horror of silence, which she battled with endless chat. The Typhoid Mary of the Telephone started her calls at 6:30 each morning.

I'm no different to anyone else; I want people to like me. I just don't particularly want them to understand me.