“Having your second child, in case you were wondering, is a lot harder ...” — Rachel Cusk Quote

Having your second child, in case you were wondering, is a lot harder than having your first, except for those people who find it easier. I'm afraid I don't have the latest figures to confirm this.

How can there be so many mothers in the world but so little sense of what it might be to become one?

I don't go to church any more, but I think that Catholicism is rather like the brand they use on cattle: I feel so formed in that Catholic mould that I don't think I could adopt any other form of spirituality. I still get feelings of consolation about churches.

A feminist man is a bit like a vegetarian: it's the humanitarian principle he's defending, I suppose.

I am not afraid that the book will be controversial, I'm afraid it will not be controversial.

When I tell my colleagues that I remember 1969, 1974 and 1987, their eyes glaze over, but I'm afraid I do remember them, and I therefore err on the side of caution.

I always try to keep that feeling of being on the edge. I'm afraid of knowing too well and seeming mechanical.

I wasn't afraid to fail. Something good always comes out of failure.

I was trained to be very tough. My mom told me I shouldn't cry; I shouldn't be afraid of anything.