British Quotes

Kind thoughts are rarer than either kind words or deeds. They imply a great deal of thinking about others. This in itself is rare. But they also imply a great deal of thinking about others without the thoughts being criticisms. This is rarer still.

Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, or learning.

Every moment of resistance to temptation is a victory.

The way sci-fi works, you can never die.

My own style is one of not much effort.

I've had journalists beg me to please say something negative about my estate.

I'm terrified of bugs and I travel with sprays, lotions, potions; the lot. I have to check the room before I go to sleep and if I come across a bug and fail to remove it I have to sleep in a separate room as I'm paranoid that I'll be taken advantage of as I sleep.

I'm one of these people that if I have a nice holiday - like I have had in Turkey repeatedly - I go back a lot.

I'm not very glamorous.

I'm fully aware that 'Doctor Who' will always, always be part of my life, and that's not something I would run away from in the slightest. I wear it with pride, definitely.

I went to a very academic school that actually - when I got to the point of wanting to pursue acting, they just had no idea how to do that, because all of their contacts were very academic.

I was very much into science when I was young - I wanted to be a marine biologist, then I wanted to be a doctor, and then something else, I was always changing.

I used to be absolutely addicted to the gym and I do still love it.

I only unwind at facials and massages.

I love hotels for their solitude and comfort, but I believe a seedy one can have as much promise as a plush one.

I know it's really square but I'm one of those people who piles on the factor 50 as soon as I'm outside.

I don't have an iPod! It's never appealed to me, really.

I couldn't sustain myself if I skimped on food - I work 16-hour days, I need the energy, I can't afford to be stingy on what I eat.

I constantly make lists and itineraries and then can't stick to any of them.

I appreciate individualism.

I always have to have breakfast before I leave the house, even if it's 4 A.M. and I'm not hungry.

Being short works for me.

I swing between procrastination and being really thorough so either way things aren't getting done quickly.

If the arts are held up solely as a means of social insight, fantasy is denied the chance to be commonplace and reality the chance to be exotic.

I've always believed that you write to discover what you think. On most subjects, if I'm asked what do I think about them, I'd say I don't know, I'll have to write them down.

I've always argued, unsuccessfully, that there's no point in giving money to the arts unless you educate people in them.

I'm wary of artistic directors who say, 'Here is my vision', because it's empirical. Basically it's about who you work with and what plays you put on; the vision comes out of that.

I'm the classic example of alienation: I grew up in a middle-class household without art or books. I was going to be a chemical engineer until I went to the theatre for the first time at 16 and was blown away by it.

I'm never comfortable at theatre opening nights. If it's my own production I'm too wound up to be able to enjoy the performance and too wary to enjoy the event as a social occasion.

I'm inclined to think that, because it's such an awful life, that politicians do go into it for the best reasons. I mean, some may love the sound of their own voice. But it's such a wearying life, you've got to be impelled by some desire to leave the world a better place than when you came into it.