In my view what you can't argue for is a system that is neither decisive nor proportional and can be indecisive and disproportionate at the same time.

Britain does not normally these days play a huge part in peacekeeping.

Ambition is best tempered with self-knowledge!

Iran's continued, widespread persecution of ethnic minorities, human rights defenders and political prisoners is a disgrace and stands as a shameful indictment of Iran's leaders.

Obviously a Conservative government will always leave taxes lower than they have been under Labour. Those things go with the territory of the Conservative Party.

Let's not be afraid to speak the common sense truth: you can't have high standards without good discipline.

There's only one growth strategy: work hard.

I'm not, nor is anybody I know in government part of a nasty right wing clique.

I know people are fickle.

We have to face the reality of climate change. It is arguably the biggest threat we are facing today.

Where defining foreign policy as 'ethical' went wrong was that it implied that all decisions would be exclusive in every respect of any dealings with unethical regimes.

I was also built from delusional optimism and folly.

...the issue becomes not whether a person has experience with a stigma of his own, because he has, but rather how many varieties he has had his own experience with.

Your life is a lot bigger than this moment. You need to remember that you can't let the trials you face right now derail your course forever.

I talked with Brian Stokes Mitchell, who agreed with me that if you have a gift there is always stuff to do.

In the end, love is growing up. We feel so much stronger since we are together in this life, than when we were before trying to figure it out alone. Love is all!

All the Padres need is a fly ball in the air.

Journalists were killed because they defended freedom. Policemen were killed because they were protecting you. Jews were killed because they were Jewish.

The wisdom of hindsight, so useful to historians and indeed to authors of memoirs, is sadly denied to practicing politicians.

I try to focus on practice. This is work time. This is where we work, this is our office. I try not to let it distract me too much.

Sometimes you become a character, and sometimes the character becomes you.