“A good heavy book holds you down. It’s an anchor that keeps you from getting up and having another gin and tonic.”

“Grief can be a burden, but also an anchor. You get used to the weight, how it holds you in place.”

“In life, when the baggage gets too heavy, you have to put it down.”

“During one of my annual visits to the great Fred Winter's yard I said to him, 'Good God, Fred, your horses look magnificent. Beautifully fit.' Of course they do, you twit,' he said. 'They don't sit up all night drinking gin and tonic and playing cards.”

“Hands down, the biggest thrill is to get a letter from a kid saying, I loved your book. Will you write me another one?”

“If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good.”

“In Western Australia they don't even know how to make that vital piece of sailing-boat equipment, the gin and tonic.”

“It's nine o' clock on a Saturday
Regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sitting next to me
Making love to his tonic and gin.”

“No one wants to read poetry. You have to make it impossible for them to put the poem down--impossible for them to stop reading it, word after word. You have to keep them from closing the book.”

“Why don't you put your ego down for a while, Justin. It must be getting heavy.”