Chairman Mao not only introduced Pinyin in China, but also simplified half the Chinese characters, believing that fewer strokes would enable more people to learn to write the characters.

I've always wanted to go to Timbuktu. First of all I think it has the best name of anywhere in the world.

Chairman Mao not only introduced Pinyin in China, but also simplified half the Chinese characters, believing that fewer strokes would enable more people to learn to write the characters.

The image we have of a famous person often bears no relation to them.

I can't establish the veracity of what people say because only they know whether they are telling the truth. I can't look into your mind, can I?

Stephen Fry is a master exponent of the English tongue. Some people might think that he is the most irritating man in Britain, but my wife and I love him all the same.

In cyberspace, 95 per cent of what you read is hearsay.