Diplomacy is unfashionable in the world of knee-jerk reaction and the dogmatic sound bite on television.

There is no consensus even today on the merits of Napoleon - and certainly no agreement on the rights and wrongs of the origins of the First World War.

Men like Hitler and Stalin and their immediate lieutenants cannot plead in defence of their actions that these were justified by the accepted values of that time.

Prison is an expensive way of making bad people worse.

We, Britain and Germany, can neither of us be happy about our handling of the Iraq war.

Margaret Thatcher, growing up in a bombed and battered Britain, derived a distrust which has grown with the years not just of Germany but of all continental Europe.

It is normal for politicians in all countries to profess themselves the pupils of history, anxious to draw the right lessons from her teaching.

History provides no precise guidelines.

But Germany will always suffer, I fear, from the intensely dramatic character of the crimes of the Third Reich.

We should be wary of politicians who profess to follow history while only noticing those signposts of history that point in the direction which they themselves already favour.

We must admit that history is enjoyable to a large extent because it enables us to pass judgment on the past.

If you lie to yourself, you become your worst enemy, attacking from inside. (from The Amazing You movie)

Kell managed an echo of her smile, and [Lila] gasped. "What's that on your face?"The smile vanished. "What?""Never mind, " she said, laughing. "It's gone.

No government in the world kills its people, unless it's led by a crazy person.

Profit per se is not my motive.

We can't allow any war for imperialism or greed to be fought in our names. This is what we need to keep fighting for.

If they ask you to stand still, you should dance.

In the human heart one generation of passions follows another; from the ashes of one springs the spark of the next.

All are sure in their days except the most wise ... He is the wisest philosopher who holds his theory with some doubt.

A new idea must not be judged by its immediate results.

You can call me what you like, but I will be taking your cake. -L (from Death Note)