It had been a perfect nap - the sort a man runs into now and again by chance.

‎He often envied people who hadn't read his favourite books. They had such happiness before them.

There's nowhere that life feels more eternal, your dimwit youth more important, than Paris.

Like everyone I slipped into adulthood like a delinquent through the back door.

When you're my age, you'll see that it is wiser to make your own decisions than let time make decisions for you.

Her strength was in the integrity of her actions; she never compromised what she believed she ought to do.

My ambition is to one day shed my wardrobe and figure out how to look like Gilles Bensimon - or a famous stylist - who travels with a Birkin bag and minimal accoutrement and somehow looks cool.

The two things, love and snow, that make the world look fresh again

When I was younger I always had a dark navy, black tie and everybody would look at me like it was odd, but now it is de rigueur. I'm sure it's my input.

‎'He often envied people who hadn't read his favourite books. They had such happiness before them.

I guess the lesson is you can’t go everywhere. You should still go everywhere you can.

Sometimes it’s best to stop searching for your passion. Instead, follow your curiosity and see where it leads.

Of course there is no veneer, the process is one of growth, and primitiveness and civilization are degrees of the same thing. If civilization has an opposite, it is war.

The strange part about a person’s lack of trust is that it often comes from not trusting themselves.

Curiosity is crucial for innovation. We are all born curious, but only a small number of people remain curious for a lifetime.

You just don't go out when you're over 55 years of age, have a colossal failure, and expect to find work in your field again.

In places this book is a little over-written, because Mr Blunden is no more able to resist a quotation than some people are to refuse a drink.

My mentality is: I'm going to do it. I'm going to eat a lot of food, and then I'm going to complain about it when I see myself on camera.

Consumption never creates wealth.

The two fortresses which are the last to yield in the human heart, are hope and pride.

When we get into the spirit world, and the veil is withdrawn, we shall then perhaps understand the whys and wherefores.