I'll tell you what I was most surprised to discover about my writing process, and that is that I never know what I'm doing.

I personally love books that make me think, so I naturally gravitate toward writing a book like that, one that's going to make someone think and make me think.

We're naturally afraid of a spider - these are memories that are being chemically passed down through your DNA.

I tend to be a very logical, practical person.

Your truth really can't be twisted. It is what it is. That doesn't mean that a person can't develop and change and reinterpret their life.

I'm a history person, and I love the groundedness of that, of being able to go, "Yes! People acted like that."

I don't think I've ever done anything that's completely the same, yet.

I would never say that I'm not going to do something. I like not being limited.

I think there's a lot that we remember almost chemically, through our DNA.

I think Scotland is probably my spiritual home and I love it there very, very much.

I would not give up a lot of what I know about my heritage. I would not give up knowing where I came from, the good parts and the bad parts.

A smile is a reflection of the simplicity of the soul.

One of my rules is never to look sideways at what other people are doing but instead, do what I feel is right.

Never be too confident or doubtful when everything is uncertain in life.

Like snowflakes the human pattern is never cast twice. We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action.

There is, indeed, no wild beast more to be dreaded than a communicative man having nothing to communicate.

In fact, the 20th century I think was the most fascinating century and the whole of man civilization because so much happened.

Norm Smith personally came and signed me up to the Melbourne Football Club. The fact that I then played cricket for Melbourne Cricket Club - the footy club didn't like it that much.

Fear of failure is always a driver but the thirst for more is a good one too... So I think you need a little bit of both.

Those who aren't making mistakes probably aren't making anything.

I'm a terrible person for carrying things around. I carry everything around with me, it's like my home.