We are meant to taste of life ... and drink the cup of it to the dregs, bitter and sweet alike.

When Love cast me out, it was Cruelty who took pity upon me

There is no fulfillment that is not made sweeter for the prolonging of desire

To have a traitor for an ally is to have an enemy in waiting

Beauty is at its most poignant when the cold hand of Death holds poised to wither it imminently.

That which yields is not always weak.

Why is there ever this perverse cruelty in humankind, that makes us hurt most those we love best?

It's funny, how one can look back on a sorrow one thought one might well die of at the time, and know that one had not yet reckoned the tenth part of true grief.

All knowledge is worth having

The pain of the flesh is naught to that of the heart

And having once chosen, never to seek to return to the crossroads of that decision-for even if one chooses wrongly, the choice cannot be unmade.

I always like a dog so long as he isn't spelled backward.

Where do we record the passing of wildlife? Who mourns the silent deaths of the small?

Grave authors say, and witty poets sing, That honest wedlock is a glorious thing.

I never accepted a knighthood because to me, is honour enough?

You cannot grow a beard in a moment of passion.

I like the sound of my voice, doesn't mean it's any good but I like it. The joke is that "all good singers like the sound of their own voice" so we'll go with that.

When I became leader, I made very clear I was not going to choose the easy life. I have always taken risks. I don't like comfort-zone politics.

I happen to be a movie star, but I'm not saying, "Hey, I'm a role model. Imitate me."