A truly common culture is not one in which we all think alike, or in which we all believe that fairness is next to godliness, but one in which everyone is allowed to be in on the project of cooperatively shaping a common way of life.

If it is true that we need a degree of certainty to get by, it is also true that too much of the stuff can be lethal.

Men and women do not easily submit to a power that does not weave itself into the texture of their daily existence - one reason why culture remains so politically vital. Civilisation cannot get on with culture, and it cannot get on without it.

Works of art cannot save us. They can simply render us more sensitive to what needs to be repaired.

I value my Catholic background very much. It taught me not to be afraid of rigorous thought, for one thing.

Evil may be 'unscientific' but so is a song or a smile.

Most poetry in the modern age has retreated to the private sphere, turning its back on the political realm.