I deliberately made an effort not to become an expert on the ballet.

Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon Johnson is assistant leader of his party. In four years he is the leader of his party.

I used to work very long hours. Then I started to realize that the stuff that I was writing in the late afternoons, I was generally throwing out. So I quit earlier than I used to.

I try to have a mood or a rhythm for a chapter.

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

You have to be an extremely good reader to appreciate what a good writer is. There are some people who are completely insensitive to good writing.

Among the reasons that you go into journalism, I suppose, are some rather idealistic, even foolish reasons. In my case one of the reasons was I wanted to explain how things really work, how political power really works.