“For mines are for men, not for money. And money is not something to go mad about, and throw your hat into the air for.”

I have always found that actively loving saves one from a morbid preoccupation with the shortcomings of society.

And were your back as broad as heaven, and your purse full of gold, and did your compassion reach from here to hell itself, there is nothing you can do.

In the deserted harbour there is yet water that laps against the quays. In the dark and silent forest, there is a leaf that falls.

Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.

It is my belief that the only power which can resist the power of fear is the power of love.

Such development has only one true name, and that is exploitation.

Behind the polished panelling the white ant eats away the wood. Nothing is ever quiet, except for fools

For who can stop the heart from breaking?

because life slips away, and because I need for the rest of my journey a star that will not play false to me, a compass that will not lie.

The tragedy is that things are not mended again.

I envision someday a great, peaceful South Africa in which the world will take pride, a nation in which each of many different groups will be making its own creative contribution.

When I go up there, which is my intention, the Big Judge will say to me, Where are your wounds? and if I say I haven’t any, he will say, Was there nothing to fight for?

Then some unknown rebellion brewed in you, doing harm to you, though how I do not understand.

I have never thought that a Christian would be free of suffering, umfundisi.

If you wrote a novel in South Africa which didn’t concern the central issues, it wouldn’t be worth publishing.

Pain and suffering, they are a secret. Kindness and love, they are a secret.

I feel that I am just a storyteller, and whether I am wearing the director hat or the playwright hat, it doesn’t matter.

I enjoy hats. And when one has filthy hair, that is a good accessory.

Kissing power is stronger than will power: Girls need to “prove their love” like a moose needs a hat rack.

We all experienced sleep deprivation at times – hat is the nature of stress but a physically exhausted leader routinely makes poor decisions in times of crisis.

It’s important to accessorise. I always turn to the scarves, hats and sunglasses. But wearing too many accessories at once can look very bad.

Even if I wore a hat and a wig, you can always tell it’s me.

Australian schools have cool uniforms. I wish I had to wear a woven straw hat for maths.

A woman’s education consists of two lessons: never leave the house without stocking, never go out without a hat.