We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock.

Is this the real life Is this just fantasy Caught in a landslide No escape from reality Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy Because I'm easy come, easy go; little high, little low anyway the wind blows doesn't really matter to me To me.

There are long periods when life seems a small, dull round, a petty business with no point, and then suddenly we are caught up in some great event which gives us a glimpse of the solid and durable foundations of our existence.

The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load.

I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else - I can give my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.

The world is not the most pleasant place. Eventually your parents leave you and nobody is going to go out of their way to protect you unconditionally.

It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult.

When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead, they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future.