The great men of power who seek to change the nations they belong to usually are pretty terrible people.

We forget today that Britain still depends for its livelihood and, indeed, its day-to-day survival, on the sea. But the Royal Navy is now pitifully small and has been reduced in size by the current Government, seeking economies to finance its social programmes. Fine while there is no threat to our security. But what use would schools and hospitals be if we could not protect our imports?

Even a pacifist should admire the military virtues.

It's a necessary quality of a diplomat or a politician that he will compromise. Uncompromising politicians or diplomats get you into the most terrible trouble.

Well, if they are trying to kill you, on the whole they're the people you have to kill, aren't they?

The revival of Islam dates from the early years of the 20th century. It was brought about by their humiliation, by their sense of how low they'd fallen compared with the West.

I can't visualize the situation in which we nuke ourselves into extinction.