"Every corny thing that's said about living with nature - being in harmony with the earth, feeling the cycle of the seasons - happens to be true."

"Parents, it seems, have an almost Olympian persistence when it comes to suggesting more secure and lucrative lines of work for their children who have the notion that writing is an actual profession. I say this from experience."

"When my son was born, and after a day of lying-in I was told that I could leave the hospital and take him home, I burst into tears. It wasn't the emotion of the moment: it was shock and horror."

"My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays. I worked at it. Whenever I made a new friend, I made a point of finding out his or her birthday early on, and I would record it in my Filofax calendar."

"Experience is the stern teacher that gives the examination before the lesson. This remains the cornerstone of personal mastery."

"In the depths of adversity, the echo of our deeds ripples through eternity."

"It is the mark of a truly intelligent person to be moved by statistics."

"Some men never feel small, but these are the few men who are."