“I’m tired of screwing up. I’m tired of being down. I’m tired of myself. I’m tired of bein’ down.”

Any time you’re making a living at what you love to do, you’re blessed.

I never could have dreamed that her heart was so wicked, but I keep coming back because it’s so hard to kick it.

You were the one who made things different, you were the one who took me in. You were the one thing I could count on, above all, you were my friend.

Every verse a diamond, every chorus gold, the sound was my salvation. It was only everything, before money became king.

Even the losers get lucky sometimes. Even the losers keep a little bit of pride. They get lucky sometimes.

You get into your late fifties, people start falling like flies all around you. I don’t take life for granted any more. I’m really glad to be here.

You need eagles wings to get over things that make no sense in this world.

I had the radio on, I was driving. Trees flew by, me and Del were singing, Little Runaway, I was flying.

You believe what you want to believe. You see, you don’t have to live like a refugee.

I’ll stand my ground and I won’t back down.

I’m not any happier anywhere than when I’m in the studio. I’m over the moon about it. It keeps me young, it keeps me feeling like I have some purpose.

My sister got lucky, married a yuppie, and took him for all he was worth. Now she’s a swinger dating a singer, I can’t decide which is worse.

I should have known right then it was too good to last, God, it’s such a drag when you’re livin’ in the past

I love history, doesn’t matter what era, I’m fascinated.

I think to be successful you have to work really hard but you also have to have a little bit of luck.

If you don’t run, you rust.

Reading is untidy, discursive and perpetually inviting. Briefing closes down a subject, reading opens it up.

Even though some down payments are borrowed, it would take a large, and historically most unusual, fall in home prices to wipe out a significant part of home equity.

I think the writer’s quite low down in the hierarchy really. But the fact that they took the piss out of Nicholas [Hynter] who, besides being the director, is also director of the National Theatre is, I’d have thought, slightly more risky.

You want to set this one down so you can take a breath, and keep reading–all at the same time.

The role of humour is to make people fall down and writhe on the Axminster, and that is the top and bottom of it.

I write and write and write, and then I edit it down to the parts that I think are amusing, or that help the storyline, or I’ll write a notebook full of ideas of anecdotes or story points.

I’ve sat looking down into a volcano that could blow at any moment; I’ve helped catch a shark and several rattlesnakes;

We should be wary, particularly with our closest friends and allies, of breaking down the trust and confidence that lie at the foundation of relationships.