I remember the moment when my overwhelming uneasiness yielded. Seven words from Samuel Beckett, a writer I’ve not even read that well, learned long ago as an undergraduate, began to repeat in my head, and the seemingly impassable sea of uncertainty parted: “I can’t go on. I’ll go on.” I took a step forward, repeating the phrase over and over: “I can’t go on. I’ll go on.” And then, at some point, I was through.

If it scares you, do it.

To follow your path and not worry about what to do too much; one thing leads to the next, and you wind up where you’re meant to be.

Not really. I thought that getting the Nobel Prize was a big interruption in my career, I thought and it was very distracting. It takes a lot of time you know, it just takes time to be honoured, you have to travel and you have to give speeches of things you have, oh it’s so often that you get bored to tears when you hear your own voice. And it’s really taking a lot of your time and there’s no way that during this time you can start something new, I mean you just profit from what you’ve done and there is no time to develop new ideas.

Cruelty, bullying, selfishness.

As a decent bloke.

Amazing, all-consuming, overwhelming.

Whenever I’m with my wife and I’m not preoccupied with work.

Other people’s suffering.

Coming under attack while reporting in Iraq.