Taking the humour out of Dickens, it's not Dickens any more.

Be careful about the advice you give, especially to your children.

I was getting rewarded for writing well, from about the age of five or six. A teacher would say, "Look what Andrew has written," and I thought, "Maybe I could be a writer."

People like bonnets. I don't think you can under-estimate that.

I used to have this Mercedes, a dark blue 450SLC, which was the most beautiful car. I'd like to have another unusual, beautiful car.

When you see two writers named on a movie, one of them did some drafts and got the boot.

Novels often have leisurely openings; a TV drama needs an arresting opening.

I prefer love scenes to be shot up close with a lot of focus on eyes and mouths. Otherwise it can feel uncomfortable and voyeuristic.

As a fairly innocent teenager, growing up in a village in Wales, I just thought, "God, I would like to go and hang about Soho and write great poetry and try to avoid drinking myself to death."

I'm absolutely delighted if people think of me as a reliable purveyor of quality period stuff.

I suppose I have the tastes of someone who teaches at a university in the provinces.

He understood then that neither time nor distance had lessened his love for her.But was love that made him ache with suffering truly worth fighting for?

Realize life as an end in itself. Functioning is all there is.

If Heaven exists, to know that there's laughter, that would be a great thing.

If you take out of your statutes, your constitution, your family life all that is taken from the Sacred Book, what would there be left to bind society together?

Without the right tools, we can't police our markets from illegal trade.

It is hard to wait and press and pray, and hear no voice, but stay till God answers.

I thought it was something peculiar to me. I thought I was abnormal.

thank god for pure natural strength

I'm always willing to listen to somebody else's ideas...because we can always learn more.

Look at companies selling at new lows.