So long as the international community consists of sovereign states, war between them remains a possibility, of which all governments have to take reasonable account.

The true use of history, whether civil or military, is not to make man clever for the next time, it is to make him wise forever.

The important thing when you are going to do something brave is to have someone on hand to witness it.

A common language is the most obvious binding element in any society.

What is Parliament for if it is not to be a means to make ministers accountable for the services for which they are responsible.

History is what we read, write and think about the past.

Let us be clear. Prison works. It ensures that we are protected from murderers, muggers and rapists, and it makes many who are tempted to commit crime think twice.

I believe abortion should be available to everyone, but the law should be changed. In the past I voted for a restriction to 22 weeks, and I would be prepared to go down to 20.

We're not saying, 'We're politicians, trust us.' We know you don't trust us.

We must rediscover the habit of thinking the best of each other

There is only one opinion poll that I am interested in and that is the one that will take place on election day.

Ultimately, physical resemblance isn't as important as whether this person can bring this character to life in a way that's compelling and makes me care about what happens to them.

When you're going for a joke, you're stuck out there if it doesn't work. There's nowhere to go. You've done the drum role and the cymbal clash and you're out on the end of the plank.

When I looked into the mechanics of being a businessman, I found it wasn't rocket science.

There is no choice more intensely personal, after all, than whom you choose to marry; that choice tells us, to a large extent, who you are.

You shouldn't be greedy. You should feel good about yourself and not be greedy of what other people have.

I was just always the girl that people would come and talk to about their problems, and I still am.

Universal, equal, direct and secret elections in the U.S.S.R. will be a whip in the hands of the population against poorly functioning organs of government.

Reading is very creative - it's not just a passive thing. I write a story; it goes out into the world; somebody reads it and, by reading it, completes it.

Garth, marriage is punishment for shoplifting in some countries!