Diplomacy is like jazz: endless variations on a theme.

The World War II generation believed the United States could do anything - anything... And Vietnam was a shattering experience for everyone.

I think history is continuous. It doesn't begin or end on Pearl Harbor Day or the day Lyndon Johnson withdraws from the presidency or on 9/11. You have to learn from the past but not be imprisoned by it. You need to take counsel of history but never be imprisoned by it.

As countries grapple with modernization, people who are left behind tend to hold firmer and firmer to their view of the evil of modernity.

There is a split between Muslims who want to practice their faith in peace and tolerance with other religions and other people, and these extreme, radical fundamentalists who have shown a total lack of tolerance for people with different views, starting with people who they don't think are good Muslims, and going on to include Christians and Jews.

It's an improvisation on a theme. You know where you want to go, but you don't know how to get there. It's not linear.

A peace deal requires agreements, and you don't make agreements with your friends, you make agreements with your enemies.