178 Quotes by Julian Fellowes

Maybe, much later in life, some sensible considerations might play a part in deciding whether to commit your heart to another, but when you’re young you simply select people you are physically attracted to, and then invest them with all sorts of qualities which they probably don’t possess. Or, if they do, it is completely coincidental.

Nor should they be, but everyone needs to feel they’re part of something worthwhile. That, in the last analysis, their life has some meaning in a larger context. The questions is what am I part of? What have I done?

We live a life that is often spent in crowds – parties, festivals and first nights – so it’s nice to avoid them.

Great grief can be worn charmingly by a beauty and I have seen a lot of gracious dignity at funerals in my time but it is my experience that when grief is becoming it is also suspect. Real unhappiness is ugly and wounding and scarring to the soul. I blush to recall that I was surprised that Charles – nice, bluff Charles with his shooting and his hedgerows and his dogs – had a heart that could be broken. But he had and I was there to witness its breaking.

Mr Pope, there is no “Lady Maria and I”. It is an absurd concept. You must understand just this: my daughter is a jewel as far above you as the stars.

I think I have a very detailed sense of observation. I am interested in the details of people’s lives and what information these details give.

I envy people who can think, ‘No, I’m not going to work today’ when they have a huge pile of deadlines stacking up.

I don’t think I’m an unkind person, I don’t think my books are unkind, and I don’t think my readers are unkind.

Sometimes you watch one of your favorite shows from 20 years ago and you think, ‘I’m loving this, but golly, it’s going at the speed of a snail.’