Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.

We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.

I don't think the intelligence reports are all that hot. Some days I get more out of the New York Times.

For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.

I see myself as, first and above all, a teacher of history; next, a writer of European history; next, a commentator on European affairs; next, a public intellectual voice within the American left; and only then an occasional, opportunistic participant in the pained American discussion of the Jewish matter.

People who face discrimination due to the color of their skin, are often obstructed by institutional barriers across our society - from education and housing, to employment and healthcare, to voting rights and the criminal justice system.

I always used to get in trouble for talking too much. When it was time for parent-teacher conferences, I remember that I was always embarrassed about what my parents would hear about me!

It was Sultan Qureshi, the character of 'Gangs of Wasseypur,' which brought success as a baddie, but it were the TC and teacher's roles in 'Masaan' and 'Nil Battey Sannata' that broke the villain's mould and helped me successfully explore the other shades - be it comedy, intense, or serious - surprising the audience all the time.