I remember when the wave of Jennifer Lopez Salma Hayek and these beautiful Hispanic women came into light and I looked up to them and I loved them but I was like 'Where are Middle Eastern women?'

Remembering is painful it's difficult but it can be inspiring and it can give wisdom.

But I do think it's important to remember that writers do not have a monopoly of wisdom on their books. They can be wrong about their own books they can often learn about their own books.

After a gig I always head back to the hotel remembering granny's words of wisdom. I cancel the late-night pizza and watch the Jonathan Ross show instead.

Focus on the mind and the soul. Read. Study. Enrol in a course of lectures. Pray. Become a member of a religious congregation. Study the Bible or other ancient works of wisdom.

When planning your wedding you make so many decisions: 'Do I want this fork or that fork?' But in the end people aren't going to remember what napkin holder you choose.

I try to remember as I hear about friends getting engaged that it's not about the ring and it's not about the wedding. It's a grave thing getting married. And it's easy to get swept up in the wrong things.

I remember when I was in school they would ask 'What are you going to be when you grow up?' and then you'd have to draw a picture of it. I drew a picture of myself as a bride.

I'm old enough to remember the end of World War II. On Aug. 14 1946 a year after the Japanese were defeated most newspapers and magazines had single articles commemorating the end of the war.

I had two family members involved in World War I: two great-uncles. One of them is on a memorial in France. And the other was a trench runner who survived the war. The average life span of a trench runner was 36 hours but he survived the whole war.