Being born not long after the war meant that money was tight. I grew up in a rural corner of Lincolnshire and my father worked on local farms. Being one of nine kids meant we didn't have much.

I like paper statements rather than relying on computers. I feel more in control if my account details and transactions are broken down on paper.

I prefer to give money to the person who's provided the good service. But I never tip at hotels, I think they overcharge anyway. But anything which is value for money will get my vote.

When you experience having nothing you value everything - and that applies to all aspects of life.

I bought my first house when I was 24 for £19,500 and it was sold two years ago for £256,000. I've always made profit on my houses.

I hate my Visa card but have to use it for diesel, insurance and big items. I prefer paying by cash whenever possible because that way I feel as if I've got a better grasp on what I'm spending.

One thing which frustrates me about state pensions is the disparity between EU countries.

In my view, the money is poorly spent and given willy-nilly to people unlikely to get on the winning rostrum.

I don't spend and save whenever I have spare cash. I dislike people who boast about money.

If you've been frugal during your life and tried to save, you're penalised by the tax system. You pay tax on your wages, your savings and even your private pension.

A writer should have the precision of a poet and the imagination of a scientist.

Is that what makes me sad? The eagerness and belief that filled me then and exacted a pledge from life that life could never fulfill?

He didn’t want to do this…He had come here to hide.

An evening wind uprose too, and the slighter branches cracked and rattled as they moved, in skeleton dances, to its moaning music.

Your heart knows. Your soul remembers.

I think I've been brought up very well by both my parents. I am very cautious and I think I'm now fit for the world I'm in. They're very much behind my modelling and very supportive.

My idea of society is that while we are born equal, meaning that we have a right to equal opportunity, all have not the same capacity.

I'm not God, don't intend to be and hope I never have that much power.

Amiability is very often a weakness, but the most unobjectionable one as a rule.

Love is wiser than wisdom.