I can remember my father gave me a huge history of football for my 12th birthday - I used to read that a lot. I can remember thinking it was cool that something I was interested in even had a history. Most things I loved didn't.

We need a romantic illusion to embark on relationships in the first place. After that, they survive or fail for other, more practical reasons.

Everything's complicated, even those things that seem flat in their bleakness or sadness.

I used to be a teacher, and I know how difficult it is to strike a balance between focused conversation and an atmosphere which prevents creativity and thought.