Oh, miss Haversham said I, there have been sore mistakes and my life has been a blind and thankless one, and I want forgiveness and direction far too much to be bitter with you.

Happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes.

A loving heart is the truest wisdom.

A man is lucky if he is the first love of a woman. A woman is lucky if she is the last love of a man.

The most important thing in life is to stop saying 'I wish' and start saying 'I will.' Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

Do all the good you can and make as little fuss about it as possible.

A very little key will open a very heavy door.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Kissing girls is not like science, nor is it like sport. It is the third thing when you thought there were only two.

I'm working on a school of architecture in China. It's rare that an architect gets to design a school of architecture, and here I get to do it. I'm so pleased that they asked me.

A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.

The big difference with the recognition is that when I go on an audition, I don't feel like they're testing my abilities as much as they're just seeing if it's a fit. So that's nice.

Now everyone is a critic.

My first professional job was appearing in a disastrous theatre production of Oh, What a Lovely War in Leicester Rep, shortly after leaving Cambridge.

My talents fall within definite limitations. I am not as versatile an actress as some think.

It isn't about what you do, but how you do it

There is great satisfaction in a well-made clean tool that does its work well.

You have this idea that you'd better keep working otherwise people will forget. And that was dangerous. And then you realize, no, actually if you take a break people might be more interested in you.