Quotes from Hester Browne

The Elephant of Depression wasn't just parked on my chest, it was relaxing there with the Walrus of Gloom and the Hippo of Bleak Friday Nights in Alone. They had beers. They were settling in.

There are many marks of a true lady but I believe that one of them is to walk with her head held high while her world falls apart around her.

It's so much easier to have a crush on someone who you know isn't going to respond-it makes it nice and safe and you never have to humiliate yourself by getting knocked back.

Always keep a bottle of Champagne in the fridge for special occasions. Sometimes, the special occasion is that you've got a bottle of Champagne in the fridge.

I'm not that nice, I said. People were always telling me how nice I was. You'd think it would be a compliment, but it was amazing how sometimes it just felt like a kinder way of saying blah. I just keep my horrible side well hidden.

Want a partner who can make you feel secure and loved, so you can reach your full potential. Someone who can inspire you and encourage you to try again if things don't work out. Someone who loves you for who you are, not who you might turn into, or who you once were.

Just because some man pays you some attention doesn't mean you're somehow obliged to devote your life to him. You're worth MORE than that.

There is something rather sexy about men who knew exactly what they are talking about. Men who might not be conventionally attractive, but who are obviously highly competent at their jobs.

My golden rule has always been to look on the bright side, no matter what. With all the complications in my life, I had to. Because if you can find three good things in any given situation, no matter how dire, I guarantee you'll forget the rotten stuff.

Appearances can be deceptive. Just because someone has a generous chest and a romantic nature doesn't mean they're EASY.

The way he looks at me, all serious and attentive, was more flattering than any compliment I'd ever had

There's a difference between compromising your independence and compromising yourself. Love's about giving up a little dependence, darling. But that doesn't mean you have to stop being you.

Fashion is a cruel mistress.

Stress can make people say things they don't mean, though. That's why you have to relax.

Outside, I avoided the gazes of passersby and slid gratefully into the cavernous interior of Godric's car. I didn't like to say This is yours? because wherever I placed the stress in that sentence, it sounded faintly insulting. It felt as if I were sitting inside a very pricey black leather handbag. Things glittered at me, and the bits that weren't leather or glittering were sort of dull black. It all smelled wildly expensive.

He told me yesterday that weddings should be individual celebrations of a couple's relationship, ideally with just the bride and groom and a humanist minister. Everything else is merely social pressure to eat tiny cakes.

Great friendships are like cell phones, you do not know why they work but are so glad that they do.

As with most situations in my life, Emery's dress was much harder to get out of than it had been to get into.

My mind seemed to think in terms of very bad song lyrics these days.

I want to share all of my New York with you, Melissa. My house, my friends, my life. It's not just about where you live, what you have. It's about who you are with. I know you get that, and I can't tell what it means to me.

reportage photos 

It was the casual rudeness that spoke of a long, long British male friendship.

Besides, let's face it, a joint mortgage is for twenty-five years. And unlike with a marriage, you can get insurance to cover yourself if something goes wrong.

I only had to breathe near cheesecake and I put on about five pounds. I had that sort of figure. Gabi called it voluptuous, but Marks & Spencer's called it size 12.