Basically, my life is so boring, it's embarrassing.

“I don't see why God made any night; day is so much pleasanter…”

“…and Aunt Jo retired, satisfied with the success of her last trap to catch a sunbeam.”

“Six weeks is a long time to wait, and a still longer time for a girl to keep a secret…”

“I don't believe fine young ladies enjoy themselves a bit more than we do, in spite of our burned hair, old gowns, one glove apiece, and tight slippers that sprain our ankles when we are silly enough to wear them.”

“Let the world know you are alive!”

“…the little girls wore a grave, troubled expression, as if sorrow was a new experience to them.”

“…possessed of that indescribable charm called grace.”

“I don't believe I shall ever marry; I'm happy as I am, and love my liberty too well to be in any hurry to give it up for any mortal man.”

“I keep turning over new leaves, and spoiling them, as I used to spoil my copy-books; and I make so many beginnings there never will be an end," he said, dolefully.”

“You men tell us we are angels, and say we can make you what we will; but the instant we honestly try to do you good, you laugh at us, and won't listen. which proves how much your flattery is worth.”

I frequently dream of having tea with the Queen.

Brexit was a fantastic example of a nation shooting itself full in the face.

I just don't believe in love at first sight anymore, even though I've based my whole career on the concept. In my experience, power, money and influence always attract the opposite sex. It's something that I've always exploited - with good results.

My contemporary art collection began with just needing to put things on the wall. I was looking around my Victorian house thinking, 'What would be the coolest is contemporary art - it will make me look young and interesting.' I'm more than 80 percent skeptical of the whole thing.

The truth is, I'd never seen a Cary Grant film. Since then I have watched his stuff and it's astounding, but I don't see any similarity between us. Except for the fact that I'm told he used to wear ladies' underwear, which is something I also do.

It's very true that you can be both selfless and selfish at the same time. What we tend towards, particularly in filmmaking, is this binary sort of, 'This is a good guy, this is a bad guy.' And I quite like the fact that life is a bit more complex than that.

'Notting Hill?' Does that poke fun at being British? Maybe it does. In 'Mickey Blue Eyes,' that's kind of the point: the clash of worlds, the unlikely combo of a respectable Englishman and a mob guy. If you take out the Britishness, you don't really have much.

If you have a smothering parent, the effect it can apparently have on a child is to give them, in equal doses, a sense of too much self-esteem, because they are mummy's little princess or prince, and low self-esteem. It affects future relationships.

I always admire the French and the Italians who are very devoted to their marriages. They take them extremely seriously, but it is understood that there might be other visitors at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. You just never boast about. They never say anything, but that's what keeps marriages together.

I've certainly had a bad attitude to my job on many occasions. Not since 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. I've been rather a good boy and really given it everything when I've accepted a part since then, because I've been given much better parts in films.

I don't have any particular burning desire to go back to being cuddly. Not really.

Strangely enough I'm better on a stage. I love that I feel like I blossom in front of a whole bunch of people.

The moral of filmmaking in Britain is that you will be screwed by the weather.

Plus, teaching brings home to you very fast that you actually know nothing. I didn't realize that before.

You know everyone loves to be the villain.

I get very annoyed when people think I'm nice or diffident or a polite English gentleman. I'm a nasty piece of work, and people should know that.

I think I'm rather young and sprightly, but then you see pictures of yourself and think, 'Who is that old man?' and I realise I'm not as young as I thought I was.

I'm not a hopeless romantic. I'm quite the reverse. I'm a nasty piece of work, an ego maniac.

For any new technology there is always controversy and there always some fear associated with it. I think that's just the price of being first sometimes.

A free press is the cornerstone of democracy; there is no question about that.

“It is apt to be so, and it is hard to bear; for, though we do not want trumpets blown, we do like to have out little virtues appreciated, and cannot help feeling disappointed if they are not.”

“Her father called her ‘Little Tranquillity’, and the name suited her excellently; for she seemed to live in a happy world of her own, only venturing out to meet the few whom she trusted and loved.”

“... to the great delight of two ducks, four cats, five hens and half a dozen Irish children; for they were out of the city for now.”

“Life is a fight, and I like a good soldier.”

I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to interfere in the editing process, and I want to interfere in the advertising process - everything, everything. Pretty much Barbra Streisand in trousers, I am!

When I finished my degree at Oxford, I went and acted for a bit. And I was appalling. And with each part, I thought, 'Well, that's embarrassing. I'd better do one more to show people I'm not that bad.' And, in fact, instead of a taking a year, that's gone on for 35 years.

I used to pre-rehearse everything and then bring my pre-rehearsed performance to the set. Now, I'm learning to let it happen in the moment. American actors are much better at that than British actors. If I knew how to trust myself, I would have been much more relaxed. Maybe I would have less gray hairs today.

I never meant to be in romantic comedies; it's just what ended up happening. But they are tricky, in a post-1960s sexual revolution way. It was easier when you couldn't have sex scenes: everything crackled very nicely. They're not easy.

In 'The Sound of Music,' I was a von Trapp daughter in a white dress with a blue satin sash, and my line was, 'I'm Brigitta. I'm 12, and all I want is a good time.' I got a laugh. And I was so delighted, I laughed, too. Sadly, that's a problem I still have - onstage, I laugh hysterically at how funny I am.

And film acting is incredibly tedious, just by its nature. It's incredibly, mind numbingly slow.

But I just know from experience that accent wise, even if you're an accent genius, crossing the Atlantic is the hardest thing in the world either way.

I cling to the fantasy that I could have done something more creative. Like actually writing a script, or writing a book. But the awful truth is that I... probably can't!

I don't think there's much point in putting me a deep, dark, heavy, emotional film because there are people who do it so much better than I do.

I find it hard to understand why Scorsese has never called. You know, given the natural menace I bring to the screen.

I think maybe in a way it gets worse because you come in with a real reputation and they've paid you lots of money and all that.

I think that's the whole point of Bridget Jones. It's all about that it's okay to fail.

Neither Elizabeth or I are keen to do a real-life couple on the screen. It's not very electric.

The only reason my work seems to be eclectic up to a certain period is because I was a failure as an actor.

The reason I turn down 99% of a hundred, I mean a thousand, scripts is because romantic comedies are often very romantic but seldom very funny.