You only need to look at Jane Austen to see how crossed wires can become a defining aspect of romantic life. Then again, if the course of true love ran more smoothly, it would have a terribly detrimental effect on our cache of love stories. Mariella Frostrup aspectaustencache share on social
Girls have a tendency to take responsibility for romantic misinterpretations, when often it's men whose perfectly honed emotional inscrutability makes life more complicated than it should be. Mariella Frostrup complicateemotionalgirl Change image and share on social
There are more than enough people with serious mental issues who really do need professional help without all the other Toms, Dicks and Harriets rushing to the therapist's couch. Mariella Frostrup couchdickharriets Change image and share on social
Normally, the thin-skinned have an endless array of excuses for why their workaday interactions are so much harder to bear for them than for the rest of us. In the eyes of the self-suffering, they are being victimised, used and always abused, when they're actually experiencing exactly the same body blows as the rest of us. Mariella Frostrup abusearraybear share on social
The sight of parents, children and grandparents all descending on a tented field to enjoy the pleasure of ideas and books renews my faith in humanity. Mariella Frostrup bookchilddescend Change image and share on social
Saturday and Sunday mornings are the only time the children are allowed to turn on the television. Mariella Frostrup allowchildmorning Change image and share on social
Since so many romantic comedies vary little in their storyline, the success or failure of such movies depends largely on whether we believe in the relationship of the protagonists. Mariella Frostrup comedydependfailure Change image and share on social
Romantic comedies seem to take over where the fairytales of childhood left off, feeding our dreams of a soulmate; though, sadly, the Hollywood endings prove quite elusive in the real world. Mariella Frostrup childhoodcomedydream Change image and share on social
Men that aren't threatened by opinionated, faintly aggressive women are in a minority. Mariella Frostrup aggressivefaintlyman Change image and share on social
As a species, we tend to be doers, forever shaping and reshaping the world to better suit our purposes. Mariella Frostrup doerforeverpurpose Change image and share on social