“For a bird, especially for the more musically inventive, song is the d...” — John Burnside Quote

“For a bird, especially for the more musically inventive, song is the defining characteristic, the primary way by which it knows itself and is known by others. To lose its species song is to lose not just its identity but some part of its presence in the world.”

“One day I was talking about what I was going to do next, and just found myself announcing it: 'I'm going to write a book about my father.'”

“As a child, I was consumed with a near-obsessive curiosity about what the world felt like for other creatures.”

“I had been playing really interesting roles before I got great roles. Little ones - 'The Crying Game' I loved working on, and then 'Bird,' 'Ghost Dog,' so many films.”

“The pigeon here is a beautiful bird, of a delicate bronze colour, tinged with pink about the neck, and the wings marked with green and purple.”

“It strikes me every time I do an interview that I don't really sit around thinking about my goals and my life and my career. I do what I love doing and I get a lot of feedback. I'm free as a bird, you know? If I do something good, it's, 'Wow, that was brilliant,' and if I do something bad, it just goes away.”