Italian is the language of song. German is good for philosophy and English for poetry. French is best at precision; it has a rigour to it.

I lived the life of Londoners - and thence comes my immense gratitude and my deep attachment with the British people. I do not think there has ever been a people in the world who displayed a heroism as discreet, as mundane and as universal.

I love English. I learned it from the speeches of Winston Churchill.

The French no longer respect their language, because they no longer love themselves, and, no longer loving themselves, they no longer love what was the instrument of their glory - their language.

I love English, though I now call it 'Anglo- American' because we no longer speak British English due to globalization and America's economic power.

The hand of God strikes swiftly, particularly when assisted by the hand of man.

There is a singular strand running through history, always renewing itself, that of fanatics for the general good and for the written law. Logical to the point of inhumanity, pitiless towards others as towards themselves, these servants of abstract gods and of absolute law accept the role of executioners, because they wish to be the last executioner. They deceive themselves because, once dead, the world no longer obeys them.

A man who would agree to betray his own conscience for the sake of a mitre, might well also steal and betray.

For in truth the years have little effect on our nature and age does not free us of our faults. We lose our hair more quickly than our weaknesses.

Even when we are punished for the wrong reasons, there is always a real cause for our punishment. Every unjust act, even committed for the sake of a just cause, carries its curse with it.