When I sat down to make a list of characters in history who exhibited curiosity, most were women. I thought it was sheer accident, and then I began to wonder.

The range of weapons at the disposal of military powers is terrifying in its capacity to damage the world and its inhabitants, perhaps even to bring humanity's long story to its end.

If we do not, as historians, write the history of great events as well as the small stories that make up the past, others will, and they will not necessarily do it well.

You shouldn't expect people in the past to do things they couldn't have done.

War is failure of diplomacy.

As to the war, while it is always thought rash to have any strong military convictions, I have always believed that if they would go straight to Sebastopol early in the season they would take it with little difficulty.

China will always remain the builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and upholder of international order.

Osama bin Laden is gone. The war in Iraq is over. Afghanistan is coming to a close.