Writing: I certainly do rewrite my central myth in every book and would never read or trust any writer who did not also do so.

The most technologically efficient machine that man has ever invented is the book.

There is only one way to degrade mankind permanently and that is to destroy language.

Advertising - a judicious mixture of flattery and threats.

Even the human heart is slightly left of centre.

We are always in the place of beginning; there is no advance in infinity.

The world of literature is a world where there is no reality except that of the human imagination.

This story of loss and regaining of identity is, I think, the framework of all literature.

Man lives, not directly or nakedly in nature like the animals, but within a mythological universe, a body of assumptions and beliefs developed from his existential concerns.

The bible should be taught so early and so thoroughly that it sinks straight to the bottom of the mind where everything that comes along can settle on it.

It seems clear that the Bible belongs to an area of language in which metaphor is functional, and were we have to surrender precision for flexibility.

The greatest scientists are artists as well.

I think of myself as a journeyman actress. I will attempt almost anything that I think that I can bring off. It could be almost anything.

Cycling has given me everything.

It's nice to get your glad rags on for awards like the Baftas, but it doesn't happen all the time.

I'm like our fearless leader [Jesus]. Where do I get my inspiration? I don't know. I just make fun of everything.

Q: What's the difference between an enzyme and a hormone? A: You can't hear an enzyme.

Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.

Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the Triune God.

Gabriel Batistuta. He was a spectacular No 9 - great at finding space, shooting from outside the box, good in the air. He was always a reference for me and I used to watch the way he played.

There is no fruit which is not bitter before it is ripe.