It is one of history's ironies that Communism, advertised as a classless society, tended to breed a privileged class of feudal proportions.

In his essay, ‘Perpetual Peace,’ the philosopher, Immanuel Kant, argued that perpetual peace would eventually come to the world in one of two ways, by human insight or by conflicts and catastrophes of a magnitude that left humanity no other choice. We are at such a juncture.

The convictions that leaders have formed before reaching high office are the intellectual capital they will consume as long as they continue in office.

I don't think we should pay people to fight terrorism. I would be amazed if they asked for anything in return.

We have to be careful in negotiating with Iran that we don't create the impression among the Arab states and the Sunni states that we are working on a condominium between Iran and the United States, because that will panic them and drive them into making their own arrangement.

Every American president, regardless of party, has said that America has an intense interest in a peaceful resolution. And I think it should be left at that.

We are used to dealing with problems that have a solution and that can be solved in a finite period. But we're at the beginning of a long period of adjustment that does not have a clear-cut terminal point, and in which our wisdom and sophistication and understanding has to be one of the key elements.