The longing we have to communicate cleanly and directly with people is always obstructed by qualifications and often with concern about how our messages will be received.

I had two experiences of criminality: one was my conman father, the other was teaching at Eton

To possess another language, Charlemagne tells us, is to possess another soul. German is such a language. Once you have it in your head, you can go there anytime, you can close the door, you have a refuge.

A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.

But there is a big difference in working for the West and working for a totalitarian state.

The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal.

I think I'm in the same mood as ever, but in some ways more mature. I guess you could say that, at 65, when you've seen the world shape up as I have, there are only two things you can do: laugh or kill yourself.