There was something about Maria Graham that you could believe in – a slice of home. If not unique in her travelling, she was at least extraordinary.

Maria didn’t fear the sea but, as taught by her father, she respected its power. In her experience the ocean had no intent to drown travellers.

I pride myself on making my own decisions, sir, " she said. "I do not welcome gentlemen making them for me.

The jungle is alive. It’s dangerous as a living nightmare and brimful of hostility.

The smell of roasting meat rose from the street stalls in a sizzle and a fiddle player begged for coin as he rasped a haunting melody. Life could not be more perfect.

A journey is an achievement, Maria, just as much as a mathematical proof.

She enjoyed the sights and sounds of the dockside – ports were places of freedom.

Today is the anniversary of my husband’s death, " Maria announced. It was a dramatic statement, but the occasion seemed to demand it. "And I am going to leave.

Science is a way to call the bluff of those who only pretend to knowledge. It is a bulwark against mysticism, against superstition, against religion misapplied to where it has no business being.

Always ask yourself the question "Is this going to help get me to my goal or not?

We have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible.

Why are there no names for the abscence of things? Why is there no name for the abscence of humanity?

No amount of trying to inhale one more shred of inspiration is going to make it any easier to put your heart and soul out there.

Impossible things are simply those which so far have never been done.

The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it.

U.S. companies rely on the European market for more than half of their global foreign profits.

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.

The arrogance of men never ceases to amaze me. You all think everything has to do with you, and every woman has to desire you.