“It’s always about the money. And the problem with that is: if the people who love you are always weighing up what you cost, then you’re never really sure who’s got your back.”

“They’re never going to change. You gotta get that into your head. What they did up there? They’ll keep doing that forever. You know why? Because they’re withholders. That’s what power is all about. Not giving people what they want. So you know what that means? It means you’ve got to stop wanting. Stop wanting them to love you, or be proud of you, or whatever it is you’re after. ’Cause you’re not gonna get it.”

“It was the first time I realized that your mind can’t always be trusted. If it can’t make sense of what you’re seeing, it will come up with an alternative scenario for you.”

“What did he say? You can't always pick your friends. Well, he's damn right there. I have two friends here: a fifteen year old who sees people in colours and a salsa-mad Dutch woman. I didn't pick them, they just turned up in my life, and I'm really glad.”

“And what really struck me was that the woman still meant so much to Grandad after all of those years. She burned in his memory in a way that she never would have if he’d left his wife and sons for her. It got me thinking about how sometimes it’s the people we don’t get to have who stay with us the most.”

“This is what I love about life. The UP. You can be completely down and out, and in the next you feel like you're flying, for no reason at all.”

“And that’s my problem. You can’t rely on anybody being around for you, because things change. Specifically, people die, or something comes up in their life, which you find out is actually quite separate to you.”