I love the idea that magic and witchcraft and battles between supernatural creatures could be raging all around us but just out of our sight.

Inside every fat man, there's a thin man trying to get out.

You can kiss me if you like," she said. Alex let go of her and turned away. "Thanks, Fiona," he said. "But frankly I'd prefer to kiss the horse.

What happened?" he demanded. "I heard an explosion!" "Yeah.That was me. I set the boat alight." "What?" "I set fire to the boat." "But we're on the boat!" "I know.

Childhood, after all, is the first precious coin that poverty steals from a child.

Once you get into the world of dystopia, it's hard to avoid plagiarism, because other people have had such powerful visions.

You're never too young to die.

There's a dream world that we visit sometimes and that's how we found out who we are.

What is this place? Hogwarts? -- Alex Rider

Routine is the one thing the can get you killed. It tells the enemy where you're going and when you're going to be there.

There's a name for people with an interest in the moon," Alex said. "They're called lunatics.

With buildering, I get to keep that element of danger. Plus, I very much like the feeling of height, and buildings have even more of a feeling of height than rock faces.

I've learned one thing about life. We're a good deal like that ball, dancing on the fountain. We know as little about the forces that move us, and move the world around us, as that empty ball does.

Christmas is the one day of the year when it's most obvious someone's missing. It had to become less about the presents.

It's really quite astounding to see what the science says we can actually do.

I look back at my twenties and see that I was much less confident.

Equality is not in the natural order of things, and the crusade to make everyone equal in every respect (except before the law) is certain to have disastrous consequences.

Avicenna California...Museum of my twisted youth, vault of my dearest and most disgusting memories.

What is society but an individual? [] The ocean is not society; it is individuals. This was how I managed to gain a modicum of freedom from my terror at the illusion of the ocean called the world.

You're in bad shape when your emotions force you into acts which you know are foolish.

'Marley' does what is probably the best possible job of documenting an important life.