I'm not psychic. I cannot know what is in the mind of particular public figures.

I've never been much given to little social cliques.

Fairness is not about statistical equality.

If someone is being very cheeky, it can be quite fun to deal with that situation.

For far too long the House of Commons has been run as little more than a private club by and for gentleman amateurs.

I pride myself on being courteous to people, and trying to fashion good relations.

I am seeking every day to restore faith in Parliament - to ensure we have a House of Commons which is representative, effective and reconnected to the people we serve.

I never aspired to be Speaker simply so I could say, 'I am the Speaker of the House of Commons,' and tell my children that.

I think the record shows that as Speaker, I have taken the lead in cleaning up politics.

I don't want to crawl over the entrails of past disputes.

It's a cowardly form of politics to use my spouse to beat me.

Take a deep breath and pause for one minute without doing anything! There did you feel the magic?

Sunbathe from within.

No one ever forgets a toy that made him or her supremely happy as a child, even if that toy is replaced by one like it that is much nicer.

The more mistakes I make, the least I judge other people's mistakes

Out where the handclasp's a little stronger Out where the smile dwells a little longer That's where the West begins.

Hope is the most important four-letter word in the language.

Pit Riley had a lasting effect on us as players and the coaching staff.

Do you suppose the St. Swithin's furnace-man was my one true love? Since I never spoke to him, it seems unlikely, but at least it was a passion unscathed by disappointment.

Rejection reveals your character.

As a child, I copied Duerer drawings and Bruegel.