I thought to spend my declining years writing poetry and teaching - but that won't pay the Bergdorf's bill. I think I'll move to somewhere life is cheaper.

I always thought that poetry is the verdict that others give to a certain kind of writing. So to call yourself a poet is a kind of dangerous description. It's for others it's for others to use.

Writing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo.

Writing criticism is to writing fiction and poetry as hugging the shore is to sailing in the open sea.

When I was writing pretty poor poetry this girl with midnight black hair told me to go on.

You can get too bogged down in technology and you can sort of forget what it is you were trying to do. And with the Pet Shop Boys it's primarily about the songs it's about song writing.

You know writing is really difficult and it takes a real patience and a skill. I don't know if I have that. I admire it in others so much and I envy it.

Writing is good thinking is better. Cleverness is good patience is better.

Of all those arts in which the wise excel Nature's chief masterpiece is writing well.

I get caught up in my bubble of reading writing or music.

Writing has laws of perspective of light and shade just as painting does or music. If you are born knowing them fine. If not learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.

In some ways my gift for music and writing was born out of tragedy really and loss.

I started writing rhymes first and then put it to the music. I figured out I could lock it to the beat better if I heard the music first. I like to get a lot of tracks put the track up and let the music talk to me about what it's about.

What I took back because of my exposure to the Jewish music of the 30s and the 40s in my upbringing with my father was that kind of theatrical songwriting. It was always a part of my character. This desire to make people laugh.

I'm probably writing music now for the same reason as I started writing songs when I was 14 - to meet women.

Great classic music that I've been turned on to has not only inspired and influenced me but it has had an effect on my songwriting.

I'm writing constantly about all my crazy experiences across the world so I have a lot of music I've already written.

Since I met Starsmith my producer I really feel like I'm making music because we write it together and produce it together. I've got a proper involvement in the end product as opposed to just writing a song and finding someone else to produce it.

I'm quite private. And I never wanted to be the biggest star in the world really. So in that sense I've got a good balance of doing great shows of making an appearance every now and then and writing music and I don't really have to do much else.

Yeah I've been interested in music since I was a teenager always writing songs.

I don't think I'd ever make an album of just covers because I love writing my own music.

I'm clearly most well known for my music. Eventually ultimately I'll be writing books. I'm still writing articles now. I just consider myself a writer.

I started playing piano when I was 6. And I knew that wanted to be involved in that form of expression whether it was through music or acting or dancing or painting or writing.

I just want to keep writing music.