“When I enter a Library ... I still have a reassuring sense that it is going to tell me all I need to know.”

“The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency.”

“I have found that the less expectation you put on others, the more happiness you will find with them and yourself.”

“One of the greatest tragedies in life is to lose your own sense of self and accept the version of you that is expected by everyone else.”

“Inner strength of character cannot be measured by any means but performance in the time of need.”

“For a long time, I did not move from the dark, wood-panelled hall. I wanted company, and I had none, lights and warmth and a strong drink inside me, I needed reassurance. But, more than anything else, I needed an explanation. It is remarkable how powerful a force simple curiosity can be. I had never realized that before now. In spite of my intense fear and sense of shock, I was consumed with the desire to find out exactly who it was that I had seen, and how, I could not rest until I had settled the business, for all that, while out there, I had not dared to stay and make any investigations.”

“You will never know how high you can climb until you reach the top.”