When in doubt, do what they do in books, was one of Gabriel's secret mottos and - that rarest of things - a principle that he actually lived by.

... Paris was no more Babylon than it was New Jerusalem. All cities worthy of that name were both: they were one because they were the other...

Many of us persons of the tinted persuasion care about human rights and artistic freedom too.

The beauty of empowering others is that your own power is not diminished in the process.

I hated [Robert Mugabe]. He's one of the worst human beings I've ever met. He treated black and white with equal contempt. He was a horrible human being.

Well, actually, I did start out in comedies. Very, very early.

In an expanding universe, order is not really order, but merely the difference between the actual entropy exhibited and the maximum entropy possible.

The aphorism sometimes casts off cynicism and expresses strong feeling.

I looked at people like Lil Wayne. I would go to the studio and I would observe Wayne, and I would literally pray. I would say 'God, give me his work ethic'.

We do not seek to thrust the principles of our religion upon anyone. The fundamental principles of our religion forbid that.

Strength enough to build a home, Time enough to hold a child, Love enough to break a heart

I am delighted to have won so much support from my colleagues. The Conservative Party can come together - and under my leadership it will.