My worst holiday was in Athens when I was a young drama student at Rada in 1965. I ran out of money. I had my things stolen and I wasn't able to speak a word of the language.

I took some classes in sign language when I was in my early teens because I was told that I would be completely deaf very early. But I never really wanted to learn.

One of the reasons I wanted to teach deaf children was because it made me very sad that they spoke so clumsily and that they moved with less grace that I knew was possible of deaf people.

Nothing is going to improve my hearing. I've only got to prevent it from getting worse.

I can not remember even thinking that I was deaf when I was dancing.

But as far as my work is concerned, I see no impediment, and various advantages, to being deaf.

I genuinely enjoy talking one-to-one. I have no shyness about that.

I think the deafness affects me more than I realise I think it makes me more tired. I loathe parties. I attend, smile and leave.

I'm the one by the backdoor - I am not the one in the middle of the party.

When I got into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, a doctor told me to give up the course as I'd be totally deaf within a couple of years. But I refused to give in.

I'm lucky that most of the time I'm on location in amazing places. Most of the time, I don't need holidays, I just stop working.

Where there is ‘egoism’, there is no God. Where there is God, there is no ‘egoism’.

If you will trust your destiny it will be your religion.

A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.

Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it... Success is shy - it won't come out while you're watching.

I will create value for society, rather than extract it.

Such words as "society" and "community" are likely to be misleading, for they have a tendency to make us think there is a single thing corresponding to the single word.

Calm and serene The sound of a cicada Penetrates the rock.

Some nutter's gone and pulled a Jack the Ripper.

You cant second-guess yourself as a filmmaker.

Sorry, I'm allergic to bullshit.