You're stuck with being yourself, so the important thing is to find people who like that.

Be careful about the advice you give, especially to your children.

I was getting rewarded for writing well, from about the age of five or six. A teacher would say, "Look what Andrew has written," and I thought, "Maybe I could be a writer."

People like bonnets. I don't think you can under-estimate that.

I used to have this Mercedes, a dark blue 450SLC, which was the most beautiful car. I'd like to have another unusual, beautiful car.

When you see two writers named on a movie, one of them did some drafts and got the boot.

Novels often have leisurely openings; a TV drama needs an arresting opening.

I prefer love scenes to be shot up close with a lot of focus on eyes and mouths. Otherwise it can feel uncomfortable and voyeuristic.

As a fairly innocent teenager, growing up in a village in Wales, I just thought, "God, I would like to go and hang about Soho and write great poetry and try to avoid drinking myself to death."

I'm absolutely delighted if people think of me as a reliable purveyor of quality period stuff.

I suppose I have the tastes of someone who teaches at a university in the provinces.

He was always acting, always enveloping himself in artificiality, perhaps to conceal the volcano within.

Human dignity is better served by embracing knowledge.

My intellect as well as my instincts lead me to the conclusion that men have a positive yearning to be good.

Tiger the dog had a showdown with a fast moving flower truck in the middle of the street and lost.

Right now, Vee was the only person I could count on. She could be obnoxious,annoying, and lazy, but she never lied to me.

I really believe that with a little bit of information, kids can make a big difference.

I got mouths to feed til they put flowers on me.

All good American literature is always interested in people who are ambiguously heroic, like Gatsby.

I bought a seven-dollar pen because I always lose pens and I got sick of not caring.

I’ve kissed death a thousand times before