The real beauty in my professional experience has been friendships and collaborations with filmmakers.

The minute you become a leader of a country, you go into a very small club. You join that sort of pantheon of other world leaders.

If you have distance from the events, then your story can work as an analogy or parable, rather than its literal narrative.

To what degree are historians chroniclers of the truth and to what degree are they just novelists, frankly?

Firms are a bit concerned about things like oil prices and US growth but actually the change (in firms expectations) is quite small so I think broadly theyre looking for more of the same.

I wrote 'Hereafter' quickly and without mapping it out too much or being too schematic. As an exercise, I think that was incredibly important.

Generally, I read nonfiction. Theres very little fiction that I enjoy enough to spend my time reading. I am generally a nonfiction guy.

Movies feel like work, and reading fiction feels like work, whereas reading nonfiction feels like pleasure.

I just try and do something good. But as a writer, you're slightly out of control.

I am not a politics wonk. I like the idea of my writing reflecting more about who I am or other people.

I read nonfiction. There's very little fiction that I enjoy enough to spend my time reading. I am generally a nonfiction guy.

...much of modern military tactics is geared toward maneuvering the enemy into a position where they can essentially be massacred from safety. (pg. 140)

If it was all about the destination, we'd spend our nights sleeping in graves.

Markets are conversations.

Tears are another river that takes us home. We become alive with tears. There isn't a chance to return to sleep when we are weeping.

What are these so-called austerity measures? What do they really bring? Oh, they bring a lot more poverty. Oh, they bring a worse GDP. Oh, they bring more unemployment.

Never does nature say one thing and Wisdom another. Variant: Wisdom and Nature! are they not the same? Variant: Nature and Wisdon always speak alike.

He's the sort of player whose brain doesn't always know where his legs are carrying him.

If I seem to wander, if I seem to stray, remember that true stories seldom take the straightest way

Sanctions make a substantial contribution to power based on privation, and they have never hurt a single despot in the whole history of their use.

Reform is not pleasant, but grievous; no person can reform themselves without suffering and hard work, how much less a nation.