Roddy Doyle

Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's part of any endeavour, not just writing.

She__ happier than Nicola. That__ probably true. Alcoholics can stop drinking but what is there for the children of alcoholics? Is it always too late? Probably. She doesn__ know.

If you are a writer you're at home, which means you're out of touch. You have to make excuses to get out there and look at how the world is changing.

When I started writing full time I had not long stopped being a teacher and when at last I had a full day to write, I would put music on and wonder to myself - am I allowed to do this? Then I thought: 'I am control of this and no one is telling me what I can do.'

Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's a valid part of any endeavour, not just writing.

I was the ref. I was the ref they didn__ know about. Deaf and dumb. Invisible as a wall. I wanted no one to win

One day at a time, sweet Jesus. Whoever wrote that one hadn__ a clue. A day is a fuckin_ eternity

Do ghosts drink tea?They don't, said Tansey. But this ghost would love to see a cup of tea in front of her. It'd be lovely.

If you were going to be best friends with anyone - Kevin - you had to hate a lot of other people, the two of you, together. It made you better friends.

Mary,' said her mother. 'We don't like sarcasm ' 'You mightn't like it,' said Mary. 'But I love it.

I jumped on Sinbad's bottle. Nothing happened. I didn't do it again. Sometimes when nothing happened it was really getting ready to happen

It was a sign of growing up, when the dark made no more difference to you than the day.

Sometimes, when you were thinking about something, trying to understand it, it opened up in your head without you expecting it to, like it was a soft spongy light unfolding, and you understood, it made sense forever_

We parked our bikes on verges so they could graze.

Gloria screamed, but nothing came out. She could feel the scream in her throat, but it was clinging there, too scared to climb out of her mouth.Raymond might have screamed, too--he wasn't sure. His face was an exploding red ball--that was what it felt like. His heart was in the middle of his head. He couldn't see a thing.

She'd tried her hand at most things, but drew the line at honesty.