Christopher Hampton

I'm ashamed to say the first play I saw at the Royal Court was mine.

Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamp-post what it feels about dogs.

To seduce a woman famous for strict morals, religious fervor and the happiness of her marriage: what could possibly be more prestigious?

Well, I actually wrote her a letter a couple of days ago congratulating her. The tone I tried to convey in the letter is, look, you are a part of a great American historical process.

Communism can't survive the captivating allure of capitalism.

We define ourselves as intelligent. That's odd, because we're doing the definition - We're creating our own definition and saying, 'We are intelligent!'