In terms of a "career," I never have long-term plans, and certainly don't want to spend several years, say, writing a "long" novel.

I can’t think of a more philosophical time in a person’s life than when they are children. It’s the one time when ideas are really beautiful and amazing and all-encompassing. They are life.

Life is a sweet mistake that happened when the world wasn't looking.

For me, the main inspiration to write a story or novel is the voice of its central character, or the narrative voice of the story itself.

We all make terrible mistakes in our lives.

take words and make them useful, ' she told me. 'drain them of all the crappy meanings they used to mean and make them mean something useful instead.

We must only believe.

There's something strange about a laptop, how you can make the tiniest gesture and make the biggest sound. I don't feel I've resolved working a sense of performance into a piece yet.

I made a pact with myself a long time ago: Never watch anything stupider than you. It's helped me a lot.

With the exception of weapons of mass destruction, there is no other type of attack that is more effective than suicide terrorism. The perception is that it's impossible to guard against.

Each day more coalition MPs in seats outside the South East come out against George Osborne's regional pay cut plans, and Vince Cable now claims they are dead.

It doesn't make sense that there is only one way of dealing with cancer.

Americans want to win; bin Laden thinks he's winning now.

Modi winning or not winning is not important. I can go home tomorrow & open a tea stall but the nation must not suffer.

In a world of democracies, the most deserving basis of national differences is that the different states of the world should represent a form of moral specialisation within humanity.

...nothing is creepier than a bunch of adults being very quiet.