Secretly I'm a real big nerd. I'd rather stay home and play Scrabble than go to a Hollywood party any day of the week. And I love reading about history and watching the Discovery Channel.

The great drama of Russian history has been between its state and society. Put simply Russia has always had too much state and not enough society.

In man - in the history of mankind this has happened many times and occupation leaders hang on to the land that they're occupying. People fight to liberate their land. But in the end the people's will is what achieves victory.

The UK is not going to leave the European Union. Of course not. We are inextricably wound up with Europe. In terms of culture history and geography we are a European nation.

My mother whom I love dearly has continually revised my life story within the context of a complicated family history that includes more than the usual share of divorce step-children dysfunction and obfuscation. I've spent most of my adult life attempting to deconstruct that history and separate fact from fiction.

I don't have a long family history of good cooks in my family.

My father was my main influence. He was a preacher but he was also a history and political science teacher and since he was my hero I wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a teacher.

History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.

History is an endless repetition of the wrong way of living.

Life is a wonderful thing to talk about or to read about in history books - but it is terrible when one has to live it.