The idea came to me that I was, am, and will be, but perhaps will not become. This did not scare me. There was for me in being an intensity I did not feel in becoming.

I had learnt to seek intensity — more of life, a concentrated sense of life.

How surprisingly alive false ideas are! They even have their own evolution. At first they are highfalutin' 'truths,' then humdrum 'laws,' and finally superstitions.

Pearls ... have a way of dying when separated from their owner.

For many years I used the pronoun 'we.' Now, as in my youth, I go to sleep and wake up alone.

Paris is not a city, it is the image, the symbol of France, its today and yesterday, the reflection of its history, its geography and its hidden essence.

Doesn't the theory of relativity concern literature too? In our world there is no longer any room for the privileged observer, as there is none for the observer of the universe - we are all within.

The past is good (as we all know), twenty, thirty years back everything was good, anyone can tell you that.

The idea came to me that I was am and will be but perhaps will not become. This did not scare me. There was for me in being an intensity I did not feel in becoming.

If a nation blames other nations for its problems, most likely that nation will always be having problems.

I set free the phantoms of my imagination.

Most leaders are indispensable but to produce a major social change many ordinary people must also be involved.

For me, writing historical fiction is all about finding a balance between reading, traveling, looking, imagining, and dreaming.

Thanks to Botox and fillers, as well as the work that I've already had, my face pretty much maintains itself.

Michelle Obama gives a speech, and everyone loves it. It's fantastic. They think she's absolutely great. My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech... And people get on her case.

I think confidence is the sexiest thing to have.

He who will not risk cannot win.

That's the classical mind at work, runs fine inside but looks dingy on the surface.

Work and life are an interconnected adventure, guided by the heart, winged with spirit, and nourished by the soul.