My one concession to American sensibilities was to remove my nail polish.

Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquility which psychoanalysis is powerless to bestow.

Unhappiness lies in that gap between our talents and our expectations.

A woman is supposed to have curves like an old Bentley, not like some old bike.

Self-pity is the most destructive of all narcotics.

I am not an intellectual. An intellectual is someone who looks at a sausage and thinks of Picasso, whereas I just say 'pass the mustard'.

People either hate me or dislike me - but I realized that people aren't against you, they are for themselves. We're all prejudiced in favor of ourselves.

The problem I've got is that I really, really like drugs. I love everything about them. It is horrific being sober all the time-utterly awful.

One of the many troubles of growing older is that it gets progressively harder to find a famous historical figure who hadn't yet amounted to anything by the time he was your age.

People are obsessed by happiness, but there are a lot of other invigorating experiences available.

But really death seems the least awful thing that can happen to someone

If my mind cannot be tied down, if my dreams cannot be diminished, then no amount of restraints can really guarantee my quiet submission.

It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.

My mom used to tell me when I was little, 'When it rains, it's God's manifestation - a big day's waiting to happen.'

Real change happens bit by bit. It takes great effort to become effortless at anything. There are no quick fixes.

You think you're writing one historical novel and it turns into three, and I'm quite used to a short story turning into a novel - that's happened through my whole career.

Holland?lies so low they're only saved by being dammed.

Remember well, and bear in mind, a constant friend is hard to find.

The fact is, most journalists I know are not particularly political. They move around a lot.

Professional politicians like to talk about the value of experience in government. Nuts! The only experience you gain in politics is how to be political.

Isn't that why we're put on this earth to begin with, to make it a better place? It's not a religious quest; it's a humanitarian one.