To be defeated, but not to give in, is victory.

I went into journalism in a grandiose way. I thought maybe I'd do a little journalism whilst I write the great novel of all time you see -- one has to keep oneself afloat.

Who invented political tolerance? The English invented it, it's something which has taken roots with some difficulty in Scottish politics.

I'm always interested in debunking myths if they are untrue. But it's also important to identify myths and how they function, what value they may have.

I am always fascinated when people talk about 'the forging of a nation'. Most nations are forgeries, perpetrated in the last century or so.

Darwinism did not strip meaning from the world but intensified it, 'by identifying it in as many aspects of life as possible'.

I think England has been in the long-term damaged by Britishness.

On the Black Sea, my father saw it begin. And on the Black Sea, seventy years on, I saw the beginning of its end.

To be defeated, but not to give in, is victory.- Jósef Piłsudski

When mind says it's impossible, don't dictate heart to comply.

Obviously you live life for yourself and have your choice to believe what you want to believe in, but I know that the Bible can be used to appreciate life.

My absolute favourite piece of information is the fact that young sloths are so inept that they frequently grab their own arms and legs instead of tree limbs, and fall out of trees.

I've done sport for a long time.

I think the most important is when I was young, I learnt martial arts; that is my special key.

To achieve great things requires that we become great people.

I felt a bit bookish, cut off from life.

Listen more than you talk. Nobody learned anything by hearing themselves speak.

You are what you practice most.

Finding mechanisms for putting carbon back into landscapes enhances biodiversity. More biodiverse ecosystems store more carbon, more securely and are more resilient to the impacts of climate change.