“History offers us vicarious experience. It allows the youngest student...” — Hilary Mantel Quote

“History offers us vicarious experience. It allows the youngest student to possess the ground equally with his elders; without a knowledge of history to give him a context for present events, he is at the mercy of every social misdiagnosis handed to him.”

“The experienced writer says to the anguished novice: 'Just do it; get something, anything, on to the screen or page, just establish a flow of words, and criticise them later.' You give this advice but can't always take it.”

“There are plenty of books that tell you how to become a writer, but not one that suggests how, if you want a normal life, you might reverse the process.”

“Times change. Context changes. Just because something is old and a 'part of our history' shouldn't mean we are forced to honor it forever.”

“If my kids are doing well, then my life is going pretty well. And if my kids aren't doing well, it doesn't matter how the other elements of my life are. It's kind of amazing to have a context like that. This is really wonderful.”

“If actors are trying to convey, in a smart way, the context of the scene, that becomes too self-conscious.”