Helen Garner

It's disturbing at my age to look at a young woman's destructive behaviour and hear the echoes of it, of one's own destructiveness in youth.

Janet Malcolm's probably the writer I most admire and who's most influenced me.

Courts are supposed to be places of reason. But this, of course, is a fantasy. I mean, there is reason being used as a technique. But courts, in fact, are baths of emotions.

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

Zamajobe is great. She's a terrific singer from South Africa.

I was good at being a doctor; my patients liked me. At times people trust you with things they wouldn't tell their spouses. It was a real privilege.