It is perseverance, and not genius that takes a man to the top. Rome is full of unrecognized geniuses. Only perseverance enables you to move forward in the world.

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

History is what we bring to it, not just the events themselves, but how we interpret those events.

If one first gives himself to the Lord, all other giving is easy.

Power brings a man many luxuries, but a clean pair of hands is seldom among them.

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.

A book unwritten is a delightful universe of infinite possibilities. Set down one word, however, and it immediately becomes earthbound. Set down one sentence and it’s halfway to being just like every other bloody book that’s ever been written.