Stephen Fry

Philosophy is an odd thing. When we use the word in everyday speech, you know, you sometimes hear it hilariously.

I shouldn't be saying this - high treason, really - but I sometimes wonder if Americans aren't fooled by our accent into detecting brilliance that may not really be there.

You can't reason yourself back into cheerfulness any more than you can reason yourself into an extra six inches in height.

I am a lover of truth, a worshipper of freedom, a celebrant at the altar of language and purity and tolerance.

I'm a bit of a coward, and lazy, oddly enough.

Because, let's face it, I do not get offered the parts that Brad Pitt has just turned down.

Having a great intellect is no path to being happy.

The point about manic depression or bipolar disorder, as it's now more commonly called, is that it's about mood swings. So, you have an elevated mood. When people think of manic depression, they only hear the word depression. They think one's a depressive. The point is, one's a manic-depressive.

That one can love another of the same gender, that is what the homophobe really cannot stand.

No, I love the idea that someone changes. As an actor it's always the thing that you look for. He is someone who starts off bright, cheerful and confident and then has everything taken away from him. It's a wonderful journey to take.

I'd probably want to teach at university, because children would drive me insane. I suspect it would be English literature, Shakespeare and so forth. I've always been deeply, deeply in love with that kind of thing.

I think the fact that I'm so well known to be gay makes it very difficult to have a convincing relationship with a woman on screen. It wouldn't be at all difficult for me to kiss a woman - I'll kiss a frog if you like.