Under a dictatorship, a nation ceases to exist. All that remains is a fiefdom, a planet of slaves regimented by aliens from outer-space.

We live in a materialist world, and materialism appeals so strongly to humanity, no matter where.

My father used to tell me stories before I fell asleep. When the children would gather, at a certain point, I had a tendency to make up my own elementary variations on stories I had heard, or to invent totally new ones.

It's the place to begin, always -- to return to home, literally.

The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.

My interest in culture generally is a comparative one, and I think that's where the word joy, I think, can be applicable. There's joy in actually seeing the relatedness, the connectedness of different cultures or recognising, for instance, your own culture in another or another culture in your own culture and feeling an air to all of them.

If you are corrupt and you have extra cash you are able to shut the mouth of your accuser and they will be silenced.