One of the great ambitions is to discover the diversity of the world, to discover who inhabits the world.

The English reputation for humour is a way by which people avoid revealing themselves and have superficial relationships, so that you can engage in banter without making yourself vulnerable.

The past is what provides us with the building blocks. Our job today is to create new buildings out of them.

The French have made conversation their claim to civilisation.

Each person is an enigma. You're a puzzle not only to yourself but also to everyone else, and the great mystery of our time is how we penetrate this puzzle.

The British have turned their sense of humour into a national virtue. It is odd, because through much of history, humour has been considered cheap, and laughter something for the lower orders. But British aristocrats didn't care a damn about what people thought of them, so they made humour acceptable.

The kind of conversation I like is one in which you are prepared to emerge a slightly different person.