I just write the sort of book that I would enjoy reading myself, a book that is both scholarly and recreates the experience of people at that time.

To begin impatiently is the worst mistake a writer can make

If you smash a city when you're trying to capture it, you actually end up providing the perfect terrain for the defenders while blocking the access for your own armoured vehicles.

Few things reveal more about political leaders and their systems than the manner of their downfall.

I believe passionately in preemptive pessimism, especially before a book comes out. I expect the worst both from reviewers and sales, and then, with any luck, I may be proved wrong.

I think it's outrageous if a historian has a 'leading thought' because it means they will select their material according to their thesis

I joined the Army in 1965 and served with the 11th Hussars, which I loved. The regiment was so relaxed - a salute was more like a friendly wave.

The duty of a historian is simply to understand and then convey that understanding, no more than that.

I feel slightly uneasy at the way historians are consulted as if history is going to repeat itself. It never does.

The British bombing of Caen beginning on D-Day in particular was stupid, counter-productive and above all very close to a war crime.

I think one of the great disasters (in military history) is the way that the Second World War has become the defining reference point for every crisis and every conflict.

Be conscious of your pleasantness.

Spiritual awakening is an identity shift. You are God!

How convinced are you that man was created in the image of God when you can't see the image of God?

It's inspiration that counts, not the drill.

It has been said that civilization is twenty-four hours and two meals away from barbarism.

I'm always trying to look for how I can find human stories that aren't just dramas.

Paradoxes are the only truths.

Creative thinking will improve as we relate the new fact to the old and all facts to each other.

Under Armour is new, aggressive, slick, classic but athletic - kind of how I always wanted to be perceived.

To get at the truth of your calling, you have to crack open that false self and see what lies within.