All cities are impressive in their way, because they represent the aspiration of men to lead a common life; those people who wish to live agreeable lives, and in constant intercourse with one another, will build a city as beautiful as Paris.

I had to paraphrase the paraphrase.

The endless chatter of this journey had wearied me.

I strike up conversations all the time and it is very interesting, finding out about things I know nothing about.

The best years are when you know what you're doing.

I wanted to be a poet when I was 20; I had no interest in fiction or biography and precious little interest in history, but those three elements in my life have become the most important.

I can remember picking up weighty tomes on the history of science and the history of philosophy and reading those when I was small.