Corruption is nature's way of restoring our faith in democracy.

Intelligent or not, we all make mistakes and perhaps the intelligent mistakes are the worst, because so much careful thought has gone into them.

In America, through pressure of conformity, there is freedom of choice, but nothing to choose from.

If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can't be done.

If Botticelli were alive today he'd be working for Vogue.

I'm convinced there's a small room in the attic of the Foreign Office where future diplomats are taught to stammer.

I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me the most civilised music in the world.

I have three daughters and I find as a result I played King Lear almost without rehearsal.

I have four children which is not bad considering I'm not a Catholic.

I am an optimist, unrepentant and militant. After all, in order not to be a fool an optimist must know how sad a place the world can be. It is only the pessimist who finds this out anew every day.

Courage is often lack of insight, whereas cowardice in many cases is based on good information.

I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who got there first.

Contrary to general belief, I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who got there first.

Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.

Children are the only form of immortality that we can be sure of.