It's when you've stopped writing and are doing other things, especially when you're asleep, that the real work is done.

The natural impulse of men is to follow and whoever has the strongest sense of purpose will always dominate.

I think it's very, very hard not to go slightly crazy if you're in the top in politics, especially if you're there for a long time.

Humans have changed little over time. We think we've invented the modern world but they were making better speeches 2,000 years ago and grappling with issues of empire and terrorism.

Orwell has always been a huge influence on me.

Another of Cicero's maxims was that if you must do something unpopular, you might as well do it wholeheartedly, for in politics there is no credit to be won by timidity.

People perish. Books are immortal.