Iraq has gone from being on the brink to being on the mend, and it clearly has some big advantages.

People often ask, why aren't you reading about what it is you're working on right now? And the truth is, you only get three pages a night before your eyelids close.

The job of the leader is to get the big ideas right.

I am not a politician, and I will never be, and I say that with absolute conviction.

After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair.

Political progress will only take place if sufficient security exists.

The fact is that Iran doesn't want to see the Taliban come back any more than do most Afghan citizens.

I'm living the dream.

Every civilian's death diminishes us, collectively.

Don't forget Yemen, where there are also extremist elements, as we saw recently.

I think Putin wants to recreate as much of the Soviet Union as he can through a variety of different means. He's invaded parts of Georgia, took Crimea, southeastern Ukraine, bases in other countries.

The Victorian era was perhaps the last point in Western history when magic and science were allowed to coexist.

Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours.

This is what happens when you go against the grain of truth. You get splinters later on.

I don't think you necessarily identify and believe in the motifs of the character, but you have to want to play it and want to commit to the lines.

It is not an act of bravery to try to save your own village. It is an instinct to protect what you possess. Bravery is when you step in to help when you have nothing to lose.

Never invoke the gods unless you really want them to appear. It annoys them very much.

Seek His face and not His hand.

A shoat squealing under a fence just attracts the fox, when it should be trying to run.

You never know who's going to be in the audience. You never know who is going to be hearing that piece for the first time, and you never know who is going to be hearing that piece for the last time.

What do you gain in heaven? You become gods, drink nectar, and get rheumatism. There is less misery there than on earth, but also less truth.