Seamus Heaney

Even if the hopes you started out with are dashed, hope has to be maintained.

I'm not personally obsessed with death. At a certain age, the light that you live in is inhabited by the shades - it 'tis.

Anyone born and bred in Northern Ireland can't be too optimistic.

I've worked with a lot of really fine actors, both on stage and on screen. The level of their game lifts me up and brings the level of my game up to theirs. Always. It's like a constant upgrade.

If you're not having a good time, find something else that gives you some joy in life.

I would've done anything to work with Satyajit Ray.