If the human condition were the periodic table, maybe love would be hydrogen at No. 1. Death would be helium at No. 2. Power, I reckon, would be where oxygen is. – David Mitchell
Every relationship has its own language. It takes a long time to evolve and read one another. Just as its true for people, its also true on a national or cultural level. – David Mitchell
Sometimes, comics will make the observation that its not jokes that are funny, its characters that are funny. And isnt that true! Thats why I always kill jokes. Im terrible at them, because I get the joke right, but I cant get the character right, and it just goes down like a lead balloon. – David Mitchell
I think all writers of my age who are brought up on films probably by the age of 16 have seen many more films than they have read classics of literature. We cant help but be influenced by film. Film has got some great tricks that its taught writers. – David Mitchell
I was taught to confront things you cant avoid. Death is one of those things. To live in a society where youre trying not to look at it is stupid because looking at death throws us back into life with more vigour and energy. The fact that flowers dont last for ever makes them beautiful. – Damien Hirst