I'm an only child so am happy with my own company and I don't really get lonely.

Something in your voice tells me we approach the question of remuneration.

Empathize with stupidity and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot.

Mr Blawke always reminded me of a heron; I'm not sure why. Something to do with a sense of rapacious stillness, perhaps, and also the aura of one who knows time is on his side.

There's an old Sysan saying that the soup of life is salty enough without adding tears to it.

Torture is such a slippery slope; as soon as you allow a society or any legal system to do that, almost instantly you get a situation where people are being tortured for very trivial reasons.

My point has always been that, ever since the Industrial Revolution, science fiction has been the most important genre there is.

I remember being shocked when I discovered some of my school pals didn't have books in their homes. I thought it was like not having oxygen, or hot water.

I am, as I have always been, of the opinion that while the niceties of normal moral constraints should be our guides, they must not be our masters.

I've always loved Scotland, and I'm not a huge fan of big cities, to be honest. I like them to dip into for a bit, but I'm not sure I would want to live in one again.

In theory, I work an eight-hour day and a five-day week which means I can socialise with my pals who mostly have normal jobs like teaching and computer programming.

Tell me the direction of your thoughts and I will tell you the direction of your life!

You have to have a balance between your normal life and movies.

We comfort ourselves by reliving memories of protection

It is awfully important to know what is and what is not your business

There are idiots in every crowd.

I'm myself, not a label.

Employ whatever God has entrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, in every possible kind and degree.

Every tree is an angel!

Keeping busy: This is a problem that you're glad to have.

Danger is ever-present in life, more for some than others.