History is a set of skills rather than a narrative.

I am sure that all politicians seek the home connection with the voter. But [Margaret Thatcher] carried it to extremes.

Memory isn't a theme; it's part of the human condition.

[Margaret Thatcher] aroused such strong loathing in so many people. That's the fact that interests me.

Like a historian, I interpret, select, discard, shape, simplify. Unlike a historian, I make up people's thoughts.

It is all very well planning what you will do in six months, what you will do in a year, but it’s no good at all if you don’t have a plan for tomorrow.

I was the subject of an experiment in love. I lived my life under her gaze, undergoing certain trials for her so that she would not have to undergo them for herself. But, how are our certainties forged, except by the sweat and tears of other people? If your parents don't teach you how to live; you learn it from books; and clever people watch you learn from your mistakes.