Men often struggle with their attraction to other women. They don't quite understand why they have to be with the same woman forever.

I have a deep suspicion of social institutions and tradition in general.

I'm enthralled by the national yearning that the Russians had during the 50s and 60s. The whole century was pretty rough for them. They suffered genocide, war, poverty, and half the population was sent to labor camps. But they were determined to get into space first.

Launching a new TV show is probably one of the most difficult things that a writer can do.

I tend to look at the world more from Voltaire's perspective. Incidentally, if you haven't read Candide lately, it's a fabulous book. It's riotously, laugh-out-loud funny in a way that no Shakespeare comedy will ever be.

I'm a pessimist, but I have many painstakingly applied coats of optimism.

If there's reason for hope, it lies in man's occasional binges of cooperation. To save our planet, we'll need that kind of heroic effort, in which all types of people join forces for the common good