Well, Australians should speak for the national interests of Australia, and whatever role former Australian prime ministers may have, one of the things you do is speak frankly about the country as you see the country's best interests, you know?

One tires of combat, although I can still throw a punch, you know.

No choice we can make as a nation lies between our history and our geography. We can hardly change either of them. They are immutable. The only choice we can make as a nation is the choice about our future.

The United States being in Asia is unambiguously a good thing for the region.

You know, in the WikiLeaks cables, the Chinese discovered that Kevin Rudd was urging the Americans to keep the military option open against them. This is hardly a friendly gesture.

The great changes in civilisation and society have been wrought by deeply held beliefs and passion rather than by a process of rational deduction.

If one takes pride in one's craft, you won't let a good thing die. Risking it through not pushing hard enough is not a humility.