I never went to a ballet until I was 45 years old. I don't know why.

I think President Obama has done more than he is given credit for.

We're taught Lord Acton's axiom: all power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I believed that when I started these books, but I don't believe it's always true any more. Power doesn't always corrupt. Power can cleanse. What I believe is always true about power is that power always reveals.

If things are going well, if the writing's coming along, I jump out of bed happy. And if the previous day has been bad, I get out of bed disgruntled.

There's a feeling about it. You feel almost like a cabinetmaker, laying planks. There's a real feeling when you know you're getting it right. It's a physical feeling.

As you get older, you sometimes feel that it's harder and harder to get something new and wonderful to come into your life.

I never went to a ballet until I was 45 years old. I don't know why.