“Good writing is essentially rewriting.”

The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.

The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.

The life of a writer is absolute hell compared to the life of a businessman.

If you are good life is good.

If you are good life is good.

The walls were wet and sticky, and peach juice was dripping from the ceiling. James opened his mouth and caught some of it on his tongue. It tasted delicious.

A life is made up of a great number of small incidents, and a small number of great ones.

Obscurity is never a virtue.

I think probably kindness is my number one attribute in a human being. I’ll put it before any of the things like courage or bravery or generosity or anything else.

The writer has to force himself to work. He has to make his own hours and if he doesn’t go to his desk at all there is nobody to scold him.

Careful those who fight with monsters, that they might become monsters themeselves.

f I were a headmaster I would get rid of the history teacher and get a chocolate teacher instead.

I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.

When writing about oneself, one must strive to be truthful. Truth is more important than modesty.

I cannot for the life of me understand why small children take so long to grow up. I think they do it deliberately, just to annoy me.

It is preferable to incur a mild punishment than to perform an onerous task.

If I were to let my life be taken over by what is urgent, I might very well never get around to what is essential.

There is an essential connection between experiencing God, loving God, and trusting God. You will trust God only as much as you love him. And you will love him to the extent you have touched him, rather that he has touched you.

It is a triumph of life that old people lose their memories of inessential things.

What is essential, therefore, is not that you no longer believe, but that God continues to believe in you.

Do not feel bad about your mistakes or those of others. Love them! Remember that one: they are to be expected; two: they’re the first and most essential part of the learning process; and three: feeling bad about them will prevent you from getting better.

Infinite Love is who we really are and who we refuse to be. This refusal is our most essential tension.

It is necessary, and even vital, to set standards for your life and the people you allow in it.

There is nothing to fear from truth….Being truthful is essential to being an independent thinker and obtaining greater understanding of what is right.