“What a delighted fascination it is, to stand aside and watch our dearest friend perform on stage without us.”
“Death is a fascinating lure to men who can stand aside and watch it operate on someone else. (from "The Conqueror")”
“Soul of the age! The applause! delight! The wonder of our stage!”
“without you, dearest dearest I couldn't see or hear or feel or think - or live - I love you so and I'm never in all our lives going to let us be apart another night.”
“(On literary festivals) When you go and see a band play live, you are watching it do on stage what it is meant to do. When you watch an author perform live, you are, most of the time, watching a dog walk on its hind legs. ”
“I have learnt how to live…how to be in the world and of the world, and not just to stand aside and watch.”