"One of the most destructive things that's happening in modern society is that we are losing our sense of the bonds that bind people together - which can lead to nightmares of social collapse."

"My wife Elizabeth and I started The Really Terrible Orchestra for people like us who are pretty hopeless musicians who would like to play in an orchestra. It has been a great success. We give performances we've become the most famous bad orchestra in the world."

"My Botswana books are positive, and I've never really sought to deny that. They are positive. They present a very positive picture of the country. And I think that that is perfectly defensible given that there is so much written about Africa which is entirely negative."

"Oh I love gadgets and I pride myself on keeping at the cutting edge of technology."

"No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."

"I don't know how people can live without a therapist."

"The improvement of understanding is for two ends: first, our own increase of knowledge; secondly, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others."

"Wisdom principle 36 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 69."