Mariella Frostrup Quotes

It's an absolute disgrace that there isn't a books programme on the BBC.

If I was a man, I don't know if I'd settle down long before I was 50.

Men that aren't threatened by opinionated, faintly aggressive women are in a minority.

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.

Saturday and Sunday mornings are the only time the children are allowed to turn on the television.

Only those with skin as thick as elephant hide can hope to sail through their teens unscathed by self-doubt and bouts of depression.

Too often we forget that an ideal partner is someone who enhances an already full existence.

Once you've raised a child to adulthood, you can only be as demanding as your offspring allow.

What an unappealing responsibility that is to lumber any prospective lover with: the need to be a saviour, not simply an equal partner.

Like cars, every relationship requires a bit of an occasional service, and fine-tuning should be compulsory.

My parents split up, and a lot of things going on in the outside world made me want to immerse myself in an alternative world.

I have a producer friend who despairs that I come across as rather frosty and never show the real me, and she might have a point.

I have had demanding jobs since I was 18 years old. I have had two sick days in all my working life.

I hate the thought of my children being glued to a screen. Children only play on computers all day because their parents let them.

I'm a control freak. And more so now that I have children.

As we mature, there are people with whom we run out of steam, but there are also those with whom a little straight talking would prove rewarding.

I couldn't choose a favourite author, but two contemporary writers who have never disappointed me are Tim Winton and Alice Munro.

It's so much easier to count our disadvantages than tot up the mitigating circumstances that generally outweigh the despair.

Finding extracurricular activities with your husband that are unrelated to children, family and work is a priority.

I was told that when you hit forty men stop looking at you. It's true, until you slip on a mini-skirt.

I would go out with people who really didn't like me very much and then wonder why we weren't getting married!

The great advantage of being human is that we can employ rational thought and resolve to change our circumstances.

Sustaining true friendship is a lot more challenging than we give it credit for.

I was raised a socialist by two very socialist parents, and I still feel very animated about socialist principles.

Joy acts like a trampoline, everything that touches it bouncing right back off it.

For many, long-term friendships, rather than family ties, are the foundations for sustainable lives.

Men want children later, but women can't rely on being able to. So I'm all for scientific advances and the help they can give people.

Whenever the party-girl tag gets attached to my name, it makes me want to snort with derision.

Reading a book you are not enjoying is a torture not to be undertaken without a reward. I leave plays at the interval, too!

Having a baby is a disaster for your career. I don't think there's any sympathy.

Kids are like glue: they can bond together, unlikely companions, even when there is little else left to maintain the connection.

If I was going to write something, I'd need to stop for three months and just see if I had any thoughts in there.

When a father of a daughter dies, you elevate them. And you sort of deify them.

If I ever write a book, it will be called 'Bottle Blonde.'

In person, George Clooney lives up to all your expectations.

I have a very childish attitude to books - a very non-analytic enthusiasm ... like Alice falling down the chute.

I don't want my daughter to think she has to dress like Beyonce!

Coming from a broken home, I wanted to be as sure as I could be that my kids would have two parents who will stay together and bring them up.

We're naturally programmed to endure a muddle of emotions as we leave childhood behind.

Fridays are always movie night at our flat in Kensington, West London.

In my child's-eye view, whenever I was exposed to pain, it meant that my mother had let me down.

Seeing the world differently is one of the toughest incompatibilities to reconcile in a relationship.

The idea of exposing the British public to the full breadth of my personality isn't a good one.

Emotions are products of our mind, and we can actually train ourselves to choose whether we banish or embrace them.

It's perfectly possible to love your toddler but struggle to like them when times are hard.

I recognise my old self in a lot of the letters I get from single women who are unrealistic about what they want.

As a species, we tend to be doers, forever shaping and reshaping the world to better suit our purposes.

Personally, I think there's a lot to recommend being friends with your ex, and I'm glad to admit that I'm living proof of its possibility.