I had the closest thing I have ever had to an out-of-body experience lying in bed one morning. I turned on the 'Today' programme and item four on the news was: 'The shadow chancellor has ruled himself out of the leadership.' I lay there thinking that's interesting then I realised it was me.

As soon as man enters into a state of society he loses the sense of his weakness equality ceases and then commences the state of war.

Education n.: That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.

He who opens a school door closes a prison.

To this day some of my closest friends say 'Gaga you know everything's great. You're a singer your dreams have come true.' But still when certain things are said to you over and over again as you're growing up it stays with you and you wonder if they're true.

So here is one of my theories on happiness: we cannot know if we have lived a truly happy life until the very end. This view of life and death was reinforced by my close witnessing of the buildup to the death of Philip Gould. Philip was without doubt my closest friend in politics. When he died I felt like I had lost a limb.

I'm scared to death of being poor. It's like a fat girl who loses 500 pounds but is always fat inside. I grew up poor and will always feel poor inside. It's my pet paranoia.

Kurt and I weren't the closest of friends but I knew him well enough to be devastated by his death. For such a quiet person he was so excited about having a child.

At a formal dinner party the person nearest death should always be seated closest to the bathroom.

The only ones I trust really are my Mum and Dad and those who are closest to me.