After eight years in government, Mr Blair has precious little to show for his ambitious plans to heal the divisions in society.

The Palestinians are a despotic, undemocratic grouping which promotes a religious war against Israel, a democracy, through terror.

Climate ... models bear about as much relation to reality as astrology.

Thousands of alienated young Muslims, most of them born and bred here but who regard themselves as an army within, are waiting for an opportunity to help to destroy the society that sustains them.

No one has a human right to hide from justice behind a veil.

In a secularising world, art has replaced religion as a touchstone of our reverence and devotion.

I don't have to compete in the charts. I can just be myself as a musician, a songwriter and play with the musicians that I really love.

The problem with always being a conformist is that when you try to change the system from within, it's not you who changes the system; it's the system that will eventually change you.

The idea of writer as sage is pretty much dead today. I would certainly feel very uncomfortable in the role.

It seems to me nowadays that the most important task for someone who is aging is to spread love and warmth whenever possible.

My family is happy. That makes my job a lot easier. For the fans, I try to put it all out there on the floor.

Don't care about all the pain in front of me, cause I'm just trying to be happy.

Birds teach us something very important: To whatever height you rise, you will finally come down to the ground!

Even when all the worlds have frozen or exploded, and all the suns gone dead and cold, there'll still be time. Oh, God, what for?

I've got Colin Firth's number in my phone!