It's very hard to respect people on holiday - everybody looks so silly at the beach, it makes you hate humanity - but when you see people at their work they elicit respect, whether it's a mechanic, a stonemason or an accountant.

We may seek a fortune for no greater reason than to secure the respect and attention of people who would otherwise look straight through us

To look at the paper is to raise a seashell to one's ear and to be overwhelmed by the roar of humanity.

The moment we cry in a film is not when things are sad but when they turn out to be more beautiful than we expected them to be.

It's almost a blessing when we meet people who naturally want to do the sort of things that are in high demand in society. What a gift to do that, as opposed to other people who would say, 'I want to be a novelist but actually I have to be an accountant.'

Many people in the intellectual elite are very scared of shouting. They insist on very quiet murmurs.