Behind each biography there should always be a rich treasury of unformulated knowledge, a tapestry that has not been unrolled.

whereas in childhood ... it was the parents' judgement that mattered to the child, later on the situation becomes reversed: it is then that the opinions of one's grown-up children become what matters, as well as their kindness.

Behind each biography there should always be a rich treasury of unformulated knowledge, a tapestry that has not been unrolled.

I do not think that one is likely to write a good biography unless one feels some sympathy with its subject.

The biographer's real business - if it is not too arrogant to say so - is simply this: to bring the dead to life.

Just as, in travel, one may miss seeing the sunset because one cannot find the ticket-office or is afraid of missing the train, so in even the closest human relationships a vast amount of time and of affection is drained away in minor misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and failures in consideration or understanding.

We are being governed by the dregs of the nation - and their brutality is so capricious that no one can feel certain that he will be safe tomorrow.