I am usually protective of my work, not showing it to anyone until it has been redrafted and polished.

I've got so many ideas, and sometimes the more exhausted my body gets, the more active my mind gets.

No ruler in the history of the world has ever been able to afford a war. They're not affordable things. No prince ever says, 'This is my budget, so this is the kind of war I can have.

You don't get on by being original. You don't get on by being bright. You don't get on by being strong. You get on by being a subtle crook.

There is so much else in the world that is more interesting [ than monarchy].

It is almost a joke, but a joke that nobody tells.

I am very happy in second-hand bookshops; would a gardener not be happy in a garden?