Spending only what the country can afford, rewarding savings, encouraging independence, supporting marriage: people know that these things are common sense.

Britain does not normally these days play a huge part in peacekeeping.

Ambition is best tempered with self-knowledge!

Iran's continued, widespread persecution of ethnic minorities, human rights defenders and political prisoners is a disgrace and stands as a shameful indictment of Iran's leaders.

Obviously a Conservative government will always leave taxes lower than they have been under Labour. Those things go with the territory of the Conservative Party.

Let's not be afraid to speak the common sense truth: you can't have high standards without good discipline.

There's only one growth strategy: work hard.

I'm not, nor is anybody I know in government part of a nasty right wing clique.

I know people are fickle.

We have to face the reality of climate change. It is arguably the biggest threat we are facing today.

Where defining foreign policy as 'ethical' went wrong was that it implied that all decisions would be exclusive in every respect of any dealings with unethical regimes.

Writing is all about self-expression, we want to speak up, to get it off our chest. Whether we make an impact or not that is not for us to decide

You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.

Certain things need not be said, and there’s nothing, not a whisper, prayer, not a sacrifice, not a payment of any price, that would change what’s about to happen.

Less time on trivialities that will mean nothing when you're old. In the end all that will matter is who you helped and how deeply you cared

Pittsburgh did not smell of mayonnaise that day.

If you want more effective programmers, you will discover that they should not waste their time debugging, they should not introduce the bugs to start with.

I love hearing my song on the radio the first time, but when it comes on again, I change the station. I already have so much of the spotlight on me. I don't need any more.

Have not prisons - which kill all will and force of character in man, which enclose within their walls more vices than are met with on any other spot of the globe - always been universities of crime?

I think it's a very important function of art to challenge accepted reality, especially when that reality is created by powerful interest groups.

No one likes getting their nails done more than I do.