I'd tell my teenage self he did the right thing never getting a proper job.

Oh God, I've done telesales. It doesn't get much lower than that, really. That's the job I enjoyed the least.

I always come back to the gentler stuff like Simon & Garfunkel and the Fleet Foxes' first album - that's quite an odd one.

I've never had a plan for any of this: there was never a plan for, 'Right, I must get on the TV,' 'Right, I must have my own show,' 'Right, I must be a movie star.' I don't think like that. I haven't ever had that sort of interest.

When dealing with American politics, you try to follow the money, and that's where it leads you. It doesn't take you to the electoral college or to Princeton. It takes you down the darker alleys of American life.

A boatload of government money is indeed a gift. Unless, I suppose, you're one of the saps paying for the cargo.

I strongly believe that fundamental science cannot be driven by instructional, industrial, governmental or military pressures. This was the reason why I decided, as far as possible, not to accept money from the government.

All the family money is for philanthropy, except for living expenses for my mother. She is 94 and isn't a big spender.