I like eating out. I like buying beautiful paintings and being surrounded by beautiful things. I have to finance that life. I can barely afford a pension scheme because I don't make enough money.

I don't want my poems to be sentimental, though I do acknowledge that sentiment is probably rather under-reported in a lot of people's feelings a lot of the time.

Each sudden gust of light explains itself as flames, but neither they, nor even bombs redoubled on the hills tonight can quite include me in their fear.

Poems are a hotline to our hearts, and we forget this emotional power at our peril

But Wordsworth is the poet I admire above all others.

I am a vigilant monarchist. I want to see things evolve. The direction the monarchy seems to be moving in - towards a more mainland-European model - is one I would feel sympathetic about.

Honor the miraculousness of the ordinary.

I write between 5.30am and 9.00. That way, I hope I carry over something from my dream time.

I'm ensuring my place in heaven.

Like a lot of people, for a long time I thought that the road to hell is paved with bad sequels.

But in a lot of ways my poems are very conventional, and it's no big deal for me to write a poem in either free verse or strict form; modern poets can, and do, do both.

Give yourself permission to dream, to choose, to decide.

You can only live one day at a time.

A few of us always compared anything good to: ' Isn't it just like camp?' When we first got married, we asked each other, 'Was your honeymoon good?' 'Yeah. It was just like camp.

She walked forward, feeling the dew on the grass with each step. She tightened her eyes, welcoming the darkness.

Aim for the chopping block. If you aim for the wood, you will have nothing. Aim past the wood, aim through the wood; aim for the chopping block.

Life is sentimental. Why should I be cold and hard about it? That's the main content. The biggest thing in people's lives is their loves and dreams and visions, you know.

If you scared to take chances, you'll never have the answers...

There's been a lot of coming home in the early mornings after funny nights out, having bizarre sandwiches in bed.

I'm proud that I was able to start with nothing, plan it and have it work as perfectly as it did... I sleep clearly every night.

That which offends the ear will not easily gain admission to the mind.