Despite the dubious statistics … democracy is a thing of value for which we should be fighting.

The world isnt one way or another. Things can be changed very, very rapidly by someone with sufficient confidence, sufficient knowledge and sufficient authority.

The question shouldn't be what we ought to do, but what we can do.

The point about democracy is not that it delivers legitimate, effective, prosperous rule of law. It's not that it guarantees peace with itself or with its neighbors. ... Democracy matters because it reflects an idea of equality.

I'd like to come back to the West eventually. In the end abroad I am always a stranger, active politics in particular is not accessible to me and although people are generous, I can never be on the inside of a culture that relies a great deal on the private space and the family.

Religions . . . seem to avoid mountain passes.

Despite the dubious statistics … democracy is a thing of value for which we should be fighting.