Literature is an avenue to glory, ever open for those ingenious men who are deprived of honours or of wealth.

The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotation.

Happy the man when he has not the defects of his qualities.

Enthusiasm is that secret and harmonious spirit which hovers over the production of genius.

I'm an inherently happy person. It comes from the inside, which means you can achieve happiness under any circumstance.

Getting married, for me, was the best thing I ever did. I was suddenly beset with an immense sense of release, that we have something more important than our separate selves, and that is the marriage. There's immense happiness that can come from working towards that.

All I'm after is a few square metres to be myself. A space where I can continue to profess my creed: take the ball, give it to a team-mate, my team-mate scores. It's called an assist, and it's my way of spreading happiness.

I wanted to write a commentary on the Bible, to write about the Talmud, about celebration, about the great eternal subjects: love and happiness.