Style is about fun. True style is not about having a closet full of expensive and beautiful things - it is instead about knowing when, where, and how to utilize your collection. Nina Garcia, creative director of Elle

I was always fascinated, even as a child, by antiques and ancient times. I always felt I should have been born in the 17th or 18th century. They really had a big stone castle with authentic furniture. Margaret O'Brien, American film actress

The habit of collecting, of attachment to things, is an essential human trait. But Western civilization put collecting on a pedestal by inventing museums. Museums are about representing power. It could be the king's power or, later, people's power. Orhan Pamuk, Turkish novelist and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature

I think the reason I love ‘Antiques Roadshow’ is that it is sort of like the lottery. There’s the chance a regular Joe could walk in with anything and come out close to a millionaire. There’s the thrill of the find. Lara Spencer, Television presenter

It doesn't take money to have style, it just takes a really good eye. Sometimes, you can find amazing culinary antiques that will make it feel like an old French kitchen. Tyler Florence, chef and television host

Some say the antique syndrome surfaced to offset the newness of the land, the homes, and the settlers. Some say the interest was initiated by a desire to return to the roots of yesterday. I contend the entire movement to acquire antiques was born out of sheer respect of things that lasted longer than fifteen minutes. Erma Bombeck, American humorist

Antiques exist as evidence of the cultural tracks we made in the past. Ai Weiwei, Chinese contemporary artist and activist

I believe your home tells a story about who you are and who you aspire to be. We represent ourselves through the things we own. I don't believe in trends. I believe in collecting things that you connect with. We should surround ourselves with things we care about, that have meaning. Nate Berkus, American interior designer

One of the things that attracts me to vintage and antique things is they have stories, and even if I don't know the stories, I make them up. Mary Kay Andrews

The whole point of collecting is the thrill of acquisition, which must be maximized, and maintained at all costs. John Baxter, A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict