I discovered that a diplomat's life is largely entertaining and meeting people. At the end of the day there's nothing. So I gave up.

Morality is a matter of money. Poor people cannot afford to have morals. So they have religion.

No one has invented a condom for the pen yet. My pen is still sexy.

Your principle should be to see everything and say nothing. The world changes so rapidly that if you want to get on you cannot afford to align yourself with any person or point of view.

When the world is itself draped in the mantle of night, the mirror of the mind is like the sky in which thoughts twinkle like stars.

The last to learn of gossip are the parties concerned

Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it. We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated Indians—or the Pakistanis.

When you have counted eighty years and more, Time and Fate will batter at your door; But if you should survive to be a hundred, Your life will be death to the very core.

But big people’s illnesses are always made to sound big. The simple shutting and opening of the royal arse-hole was made to sound as if the world was coming to an end.

I have never lost my temper. I let out my venom in my writing if I have to, but person-to-person, I have never lost my temper, never used abusive language.

I acquired long-lived parents. My mother died at 94. Father died at 90, holding a glass of whisky. I think that's the secret of longevity - to have long-lived parents. The rest is discipline.

Some problems are imaginary and not real.

Seek the miracles in a sacred moment.

He blinked at the sun and dreamt that perhaps he might snare it and spare it as it went down to its resting place amidst the distant hills.

If you text 'I love you' and the person writes back an emoji - no matter what that emoji is, they don't love you back.

Religion is man-made. Even the men who made it cannot agree on what their prophets or redeemers or gurus actually said or did.

He climbs highest who helps another up.

Day-thoughts feed nightly dreams; And sorrow tracketh wrong, As echo follows song.

I think there is something a little too self conscious about enjoying being an outsider.

Just to travel is rather boring, but to travel with a purpose is educational and exciting.

Better break your word than do worse in keeping it.