grateful people are a bore and become obsequious, which causes their benefactors to doubt the wisdom of their choice.
To many, Heathrow in August is a paradigm of Hell.
I very much wanted to be editor of the 'New Statesman!' But I never wanted to be prime minister, except maybe as a little boy.
Next to courage, willpower is the most important thing in politics.
If the decline of Christianity created the modern political zealot - and his crimes - so the evaporation of religious faith among the educated left a vacuum in the minds of Western intellectuals easily filled by secular superstition. There is no other explanation for the credulity with which scientists, accustomed to evaluating evidence, and writers, whose whole function was to study and criticize society, accepted the crudest Stalinist propaganda at its face value. They needed to believe; they wanted to be duped.
The most intimidating world leader was Lyndon Johnson, who became U. S. President when John Kennedy was assassinated. He exulted in this power and liked to inspire fear.
I was very fond of Princess Diana. She used to have me over to lunch to ask my advice. I'd give her good advice, and she'd say: 'I entirely agree. Paul, you're so right. ' Then she'd go and do the opposite.
I'm not writing fairy tales or object lessons.
There's not much to say about acting but this. Never settle back on your heels. Never relax. If you relax, the audience relaxes. And always mean everything you say.
The light of friendship is like light of phosphorus, seen plainest when all around is dark.
There was free trade in Africa. There was free enterprise in Africa before the colonialists came.