I owed the greater apology, but at the same time I knew that was done was done, that no matter what I said now I would never be able to make it right.

Belonging to another man and therefore not even a little bit to him.

In their silence they continued both to protect me and to punish me. The memory of that night was now the only tie between us, eclipsing everything else.

I returned to my existence, the existence I had chosen instead of you.

No more bells ringing in the middle of the afternoon demolishing the rest of the day. No more waiting for the situation to change.

She had denied herself the pleasure of openly sharing life with the person she loved.

We must seek the spirituality of the soul, to find our sacred-path.

What do we know of our mothers? I thought I knew her. But I'd seen her as a child sees a good mother--pure, transparent, incapable of deception.

Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay.

I don't like the idea that the government has so much of a say in things.

The papacy is an impossible job. So the best thing Catholics can do for the pope is to pray for him.

Writers don't need love; all they require is money.

I like that sense of family in my workplace, having the same pair of eyes to look into.

I'm pretty private about my neuroses. You're not neurotic if you talk to yourself - everyone does - you're only neurotic if you hear an answer.

The fact is that Margaret Thatcher was never really a Conservative.

Being a leading man... that's like saying I want to be astronaut. That's not going to happen.