“A lot of women, when they're young, feel they have very good friends, ...” — Zadie Smith Quote

A lot of women, when they're young, feel they have very good friends, and find later on that friendship is complicated. It's easy to be friends when everyone's 18.

I don't keep any copies of my books in the house - they go to my mum's flat. I don't like them around.

I suppose I often think of my writing as quite impersonal. But it turned out, when my father died, writing was exactly what I wanted to do.

When the male organ of a man stands erect, two thirds of his intelect go away. And one third of his religion.

I read Carver. Julio Cortazar. Amis's essays. Baldwin. Lorrie Moore. Capote. Saramago. Larkin. Wodehouse. Anything, anything at all, that doesn't sound like me.

I have a very close friendship with the skaters.

The Chinese go around with lollipops in their pockets. They have aid. They have friendship deals. They build you a Prime Minister's office or President's office or Parliament House or Foreign Ministry. For them, trade is an extension of their foreign policy.

Today, I, too, wish to reaffirm that I intend to continue on the path toward improved relations and friendship with the Jewish people, following the decisive lead given by John Paul II.

Maybe having to pretend to be in love with someone and then jump into bed with them breaks the ice very quickly; friendship follows fast.