My assumption is that fundamentally the picture of the human animal, as developed by Freud, is largely right.

Since God is silent, man is his own master; he must live in a disenchanted world, submit everything to criticism, and make his own way.

Every historian has informally an anthropology, without ever using the word.

To have a liberal temperament is a kind of psychological boon, To be able to understand that someone you disagree with is not just a terrible creature but somebody with whom you disagree.

My definition of modernism took a while to develop.

People seem to forget that one reason they are now thinking differently is Freud's legacy itself.

The ideas of theologians are refuted by their adversaries, the ideas of scientists are refuted by their followers.

And my interest in history was, and remains, very strong: what I wanted was to understand certain things better by understanding them psychoanalytically.

With the passage of years, not all of Dicken's readers remained infatuated with his pathos. One generation's sublimity became another generation's kitsch.

I have always had a strong interest in history and finding out about the past can be remarkably helpful with working out the future, too.

What interests me, and has always interested me, has been modernism.

The true art of memory, is the art of attention

Real tragedy is never resolved. It goes on hopelessly for ever.

I am a professional transvestite, so I can run about in heels and not fall over.

There are 86,400 seconds in a day. Those seconds are critical.

Humility is the most important quality in the spiritual life. When it is lacking spiritual growth stops.

You win only if you aren't afraid to lose.

He had never even glimpsed her.

I have no ambitions to be a cabinet minister, or prime minister. I wouldn't wish being prime minister on my worst enemy.

Putting it as strongly as I can, the failure to give free airtime for our political campaigns endangers our democracy.