Quotes from Kevin McCloud

As a property developer, I learned a long time ago to choose your battles wisely and that, unfortunately, compromise is a given.

I don't want anything that I buy to have done any harm to anyone or anything.

If you said to me, 'Lie down on that concrete floor and fall asleep,' I could do it. I can sleep anywhere at any time of day on any surface.

Every breath we take as human beings damages the planet.

Self-builders are the adrenalin junkies of the DIY world; it's the equivalent of base-jumping off the top of the Gherkin to land in a paddling pool.

My favourite authors include Trollope and Dickens.

What happened in 2008 stopped people in their tracks. People stopped looking at their homes simply as commodities to exploit and starting thinking about how they might personalise that space and make them less bland and more autobiographical, and that's healthy, I think.

I've got a farm in Somerset, and I think it's God's own country. I love it.

I'm terrified of being poor, I always have been. It's growing up as a Methodist. I'll spend that bit of extra money to get a better seat on a train sometimes, because it's quieter and calmer, but I refuse to spend money on clothes.

I admire anyone that follows the road less travelled.

Building design isn't trendy.

The more of your private life you put into the public domain, the smaller your private life becomes.

People have got to get over the fear of not being able to trust others. I come across people who are very successful in their own sphere, and really believe they can do it all themselves, but they can't.

I don't enjoy living in a white box flooded with light. I like shadows, small spaces, old furniture.

Luckily I have never missed a day's filming or work due to asthma.

Sustainability is now a big baggy sack in which people throw all kinds of old ideas, hot air and dodgy activities in order to be able to greenwash their products and feel good.

Awesome is loud but awe is quiet.

Generally speaking, I think that if you do anything with commitment and passion, it will come good.

When I left university, I idled around without focus for much too long.

I've got lots of friends who are musicians, and there is a fair proportion of broken marriages and relationships as a result. You are on the move all the time. It's difficult if you have kids, and it's hard to make money unless you are in the premier league.

It's possible to be satisfied with a day's work or a cake, but a life... what is a life but a history of events badly remembered?

I've forgiven all my enemies - even those who have stolen money from me.

Every decently-made object, from a house to a lamp post to a bridge, spoon or egg cup, is not just a piece of 'stuff' but a physical embodiment of human energy, testimony to the magical ability of our species to take raw materials and turn them into things of use, value and beauty.

I have a recurring nightmare that I wake up in a gutter with nothing. I've had it all my life. That's why I work, I think.