I wrote my first short story for a competition and won second prize. Another competition came up and I won first prize. The first story was published in a newspaper. The second went out on radio.

A good album should be more than the sum of its parts.

Rebus was eating breakfast in the canteen and wishing there was more caffeine in the coffee, or more coffee in the coffee come to that.

You wouldn't think you could kill an ocean, would you? But we'll do it one day. That's how negligent we are.

At all times, think like a writer, and keep those antennae twitching - that way, you pick up new ideas.

I still think most writers are just kids who refuse to grow up. We're still playing imaginary games, with our imaginary friends.

No matter how many awards you've won or how many sales you've got, come the next book it's still a blank sheet of paper and you're still panicking like hell that you've got nothing new to say.

It was the laughter of birthdays, of money found in an old pocket.

[About a tiresome colleague]: He could bore for Scotland.

War created bizarre allies, while peace itself could be divisive.

I don't have many friends. It's not because I'm a misanthrope. It's because I'm reserved. I'm self-contained. I get all my adventures in my head when I'm writing my books.

The cheese stands aloneThe cheese stands aloneHeigh-ho the merry-oThe cheese stands alone

When you love somebody you justify negative sides of this person, but if you are disappointed in your love yo lose every chance to do it

I can't learn in school, but I can learn from somebody who I think is cool and great.

'Good wine needs no bush', and if there were need to urge the reading of history it would be proof that history is too dull and unattractive to be read.

When science discovers the center of the universe a lot of people will be disappointed to find they are not it.

How many more times do we have to come to terms with death before we find safety?

Grab reality by the balls and squeeze.

Religion is a more or less organized way of remembering that every ministry points to a higher reality.

Timing in life is everything.

You finish a movie and you think, there, you've done it, really well, or best you can. But if you watch it, you see it was just bollocks.