What is a teacher? It isn't someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows.

I am a Catholic, not so committed to the church, but to the idea of the Virgin, the female face of God.

You're always learning. The problem is, sometimes you stop and think you understand the world. This is not correct. The world is always moving. You never reach the point you can stop making an effort.

Most of my young years were spent under the boots of the military.

With 'The X Factor' I think the audiences have lost faith and trust in it so that's its problem. You want to be watching something real and dynamic and something you can trust and believe in.

What's great about 'Game of Thrones' is they change the perspective, the POV, all the time. So you will have one story told by one character and you'll go, 'Oh my God, horrible', and then maybe the season after you have the same story told but from the person you thought was just the most horrible, vile creature.

New Order never celebrated anything to do with Joy Division.

It's the pursuit of love and happiness that is the driving force of the romantic novel.