Being his real brother I could feel I live in his shadows, but I never have and I do not now. I live in his glow. Michael Morpurgo More Quotes by Michael Morpurgo More Quotes From Michael Morpurgo Theatre can transform a child's life, just as an early cultural experience whether with opera, ballet, music or art is a wonderful thing because it opens the door to a life-long experience, a life-long enjoyment. Michael Morpurgo doors children art I think people are more in contact now with the consequences of war than they've been for a very long time. And that's what amazes me when sometimes politicians seem to forget their history. They don't look and re-learn about what has happened before. Maybe they haven't got the memory, maybe they're already too young, but you can see how we become puffed up, and how we as a nation rise so quickly if we're not careful. Michael Morpurgo memories war thinking Any problem can be solved between people if only they can trust each other Michael Morpurgo problem ifs people I can hate you more, but I'll never love you less. Michael Morpurgo horse hate love-you Characters are the key to a good book. It took me several novels to comprehend that. Michael Morpurgo keys character book I was never a great reader, but there were two stories I loved best: Kipling's The Elephant's Child and The Jungle Book. Deep down, I've always wanted to write a book about a wild child and an elephant. Michael Morpurgo writing book children Our great problem, is that children now know whatever they want to know - at the press of a button they can discover all horrors of the adult world. They know very early on that the world is sometimes a very dark, difficult and complex place, and the literature they read must reflect that. Otherwise we're just entertaining them to pass the time. Michael Morpurgo adults dark children What's really good is that there are people making stories and writing them and the vast majority never see the light of day and it doesn't matter a fig. Michael Morpurgo writing people But I didn’t dare. That has always been my trouble. I’ve never dared enough. Michael Morpurgo dare trouble enough We have bodies coming home and coffins covered in flags, not just in the UK but world-wide. Michael Morpurgo coffins flags home As a young child my attention span was, as I remember it, rather short. Michael Morpurgo remember attention children Books that kids read should be about what is going on in the world. Michael Morpurgo kids book world There's room for all sorts of magic and miracles in this world - that's what I think. Michael Morpurgo magic miracle thinking Wars become history all too soon and are forgotten all too soon as well, before the lessons can be learned. Michael Morpurgo lessons forgotten war I spend months, sometimes years, doing what I call dreamtime, weaving it together inside my head. But when I actually feel that the egg of my story is ready to hatch, then I can write it in three months. Then I know the landscape and the people well and from the inside, but I don't necessarily know where the story is going to take us. Michael Morpurgo together writing people I don't consciously try to take my readers on a journey as I don't really think about my readers when I'm writing. I just try to write what I feel passionately about, to tell a story down onto the page. Michael Morpurgo journey writing thinking Wherever my story takes me, however dark and difficult the theme, there is always some hope and redemption, not because readers like happy endings, but because I am an optimist at heart. Michael Morpurgo stories dark heart Elephants are my favourite creatures and have been since I was a boy and my mother read Kipling's The Elephant's Child to me. It was loving elephants so much that made we want to write my own story with an elephant at the centre and its bond with a child. Michael Morpurgo mother writing children Like most writers, I sit in a room and scribble a story and you don't have a connection with the people who take your story, whether it be to the stage or to the screen. Michael Morpurgo connections stories people I don't want to be separate from something that's important to me. Michael Morpurgo important want