The philosophy of individualism owes a great deal to the tradition of novel-writing and novel-reading. In its development and in its aesthetics, the novel is not politically neutral; it has been a participant in history all along.

I like Christianity. I'm a fan of Jesus and his whole philosophy but not the social teaching aspects of it, of course.

I have no very sophisticated understanding of literary forms. Short stories are shorter than novels, and poems are typically shorter than either, though not always.

It annoys me when contemporary films and television shows create artificial tensions that could easily be resolved by a quick email or the use of a search engine. 'La La Land' was guilty of this several times, as well as a more generalised aesthetic nostalgia.

I play football because it the best thing on earth for me.

Everyone just plays football, don't they? It is just part of life in England. Once I started I just totally got the bug and never lost it.

I think exercise tests us in so many ways, our skills, our hearts, our ability to bounce back after setbacks. This is the inner beauty of sports and competition, and it can serve us all well as adult athletes.

I'm playing basketball. It's my dream job. So I'm a pretty happy camper.