I made a series of wrong decisions about moderately recent books, and I've sold the rights to studios for ridiculous amounts of money and the films have never been made. That's the saddest thing of all, because they're locked up and no-one else can make them.

Love means having something to betray.

Americans believe that if you know something, you should do something about it.

Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love.

I taught principally German language and literature at Eton. But any master with private pupils must be prepared to teach anything they ask for. That can be as diverse as the early paintings of Salvador Dali or how bumblebees manage to fly.

There will be no war, but in the pursuit of principle no stone will be left standing.

Unfortunately it is the weak who destroy the strong.