When human beings live together, conflict is inevitable. War is not.

So long as nuclear weapons continue to exist, so will the temptation to threaten others with overwhelming military force.

A healthy vision of the future is not possible without an accurate knowledge of the past.

We are not merely passive pawns of historical forces; nor are we victims of the past. We can shape and direct history.

Well, as an artist, I think that Elvis's generosity to me he always talked very highly about me, he always spoke very highly about my work and singing and my writing.

When James Bond presses the watch and the car explodes, the writer doesn't go into the science of it. One should leave it to the leap of faith. I have tried to explain as much as possible, and what I can't, I have left it to people's imagination.

I started out in life as a poet; I was only writing poetry all through my 20s. It wasn't until I was about 30 that I got serious about writing prose. While I was writing poems, I would often divert myself by reading detective novels; I liked them.

I remember reading the script for 'Dangerous Liaisons' and thinking that I could quite happily spend the rest of my life watching this film; the story and the writing were so wonderful.