“I have no romantic feelings about age. Either you are interesting at any age or you are not. There is nothing particularly interesting about being old – or being young, for that matter.”

You politicians remain professional because the voters remain amateur.

People think that I’m tough and strong and that I kicked my way through everything. But they are wrong. The truth is that when I was young I was adorable and a trembling wreck.

The terrible thing about acting in the theater is that you have to do it at night.

Silence the artist and you have silenced the most articulate voice the people have.

Children need boundaries, so they can know how far they have to go to get beyond them.

Everyone thought I was bold and fearless and even arrogant, but inside I was always quaking.

I’m an atheist, and that’s it. I believe there’s nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people.

You give because you love and cannot help giving.

Being an actor is such a humiliating experience because you are selling yourself to the public, your face, your personality, and that is humiliating. As you get older, it becomes more humiliating because you’ve got less to sell.

I was born lucky, and I have lived lucky. What I had was used. What I still have is being used. Lucky.

Life gets harder the smarter you get, the more you know.

I don’t fear death, it must be like a long sleep.

I think everyone is an opportunist if they have an opportunity.

If you follow all of the rules, you’ll miss all of the fun.

There are no laurels in life, just new challenges.

What in the world would we do without our libraries?

In the early ages men ruled by strength; now they rule by brain, and so long as there is only one man in the world who can think and plan, he will stand head and shoulders above him who cannot.

I got a lot of experience for my age. Some artists might take a line or two from a bunch of songs and snip it together and make something, but everything I say I do.

I am only 33, I’ve got a lot to do. This is the first half of my career. I’m looking forward to the future and I’m proud about the past.

Save your money. You’re going to need twice as much money in your old age as you think.

The best research for playing a drunk is being a British actor for 20 years.

I had my first kiss when I was 11, but I think I’ve blocked it out of my mind because it was so bad. I’m not even sure it counts as a kiss.

A performer learns with experience and with age. I did not know the future when I left home and started out to begin my career: I started qawaali; then I met Peter Gabriel and was exposed to a lot of new ideas.

I got a toy keyboard when I was around like five or six.