The duty of a historian is simply to understand and then convey that understanding, no more than that.

The great help of being in the Army is to understand why are the armies clever in what they describe as emotional intelligence, making soldiers come to terms with the death of comrades by certain rituals.

School-leavers unfortunately will come away thinking the First World War consisted simply of 'going over the top' on the Western Front to slaughter in no-man's-land, when the conflict extended so much further, to the collapse of four empires and numerous civil wars.

The temptation in any approaching crisis or conflict is, because people haven't got a clue what lies ahead, they're always searching into the past for some sort of pattern ... to galvanise the nation or their supporters and put themselves on a pedestal to sound Churchillian or Rooseveltian.

I've been truly blessed to have so many supporters and, of course, blessed to have my family and all my friends.

I think I've just been able to stay balanced, and my family has helped me through that. And with that, I just can continue to develop because I work hard every day.

In Chinese culture, it wouldn't occur to kids to question or talk back to their parents. In American culture, kids in books, TV shows and movies constantly score points with their snappy back talk. Typically, it's the parents who need to be taught a life lesson - by their children.

I would suggest maintaining a life and a career outside the Industry. This is a fickle business and a lousy one to make a steady living in, so it's important to have a good family, friends, job and education to fall back on.