When I go fishing I like to know that there's nobody within five miles of me.

I'm very gregarious, but I love being in the hills on my own.

However, I learned something. I thought that if the young person, the student, has poetry in him or her, to offer them help is like offering a propeller to a bird.

But I hang on to books. I love them. I even think they're very nice decor in a room - far better than paintings... That's not quite true!

I said I have no powers of invention. Well, I also have no powers of mimicry.

I used to fish the Border rivers, but nowadays you have to queue up for a shot and I can't stand that.

When I was asked to be Writer in Residence at Edinburgh I thought, you can't teach poetry. This is ridiculous.

And the second question, can poetry be taught? I didn't think so.

There are some friends you don't meet for twenty years and when you meet them again it's as if no twenty years has happened - you're lucky when that happens. I feel the same about books.

It's like breathing in and out to me. It's like having a conversation with someone who isn't there. Because it has to be addressed to somebody - not a particular person, or very rarely.

Well, I love fishing. I wouldn't kill a fly myself but I've no hesitation in killing a fish. A lot of men are like that. No bother. Out you come. Thump. And that's not the only reason.

I'm fine I said for the 2,467th time this semester. (I know. I was keeping count)

The most important thing about a child's education is to have a great teacher in front of the classroom and a lot of choice and accountability with parents.

No American conservative has ever argued that the government should never be involved in peoples' lives. That is anarchy, and we don't argue for that.

Jesus can heal anything, anywhere, anytime, and anybody. All you have to do is put your faith in Him.

It is not every man who can be exquisitely miserable, any more than exquisitely happy.

There are plenty of quacks in the field. Fewer than you'd expect, though still plenty (in alternative medicine).

Fashion is what people wear not only what you see on the Runway

I've been drinking. Now I'm going to drink some more.

Look, really look, at how beautiful this day is. Let go of the worries and anxieties and judgments, and see the beauty.

The best seasoning for food is hunger; for drink, thirst.