John Mortimer

“There is no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward.”

“Life as a barrister never was terribly real to me, and courtrooms were always a place of fantasy to me. They had nothing to do with discovering the truth, really, of course.”

“Farce is tragedy played at a thousand revolutions per minute.”

“No brilliance is needed in the law. Nothing but common sense, and relatively clean finger nails.”

“The aging process is not gradual or gentle. It rushes up, pushes you over, and runs off laughing. No one should grow old who isn't ready to appear ridiculous.”

“There are lots of similarities between being a writer and a lawyer: to tell a story to a jury, hold their attention, make them laugh, make them like you. But what makes being a barrister less satisfying than being a writer is, finally, that it's about what someone else wants you to say.”