I believe that by and large people are good and everybody you meet is more likely to surprise you in a positive way than in a negative way.

Conserving energy and thus saving money reducing consumption of unnecessary products and packaging and shifting to a clean-energy economy would likely hurt the bottom line of polluting industries but would undoubtedly have positive effects for most of us.

In politics the number of women in the cabinet has fallen and if current poll trends continue and Labour loses a number of marginal seats the number of female MPs is likely to drop significantly.

If a politician murders his mother the first response of the press or of his opponents will likely be not that it was a terrible thing to do but rather that in a statement made six years before he had gone on record as being opposed to matricide.

I think that it's more likely that in my 60s and 70s I will be writing poetry rather than fiction.

War as Napoleon knew it just not possible any more. However we're very unlikely to accept or recognize 'world peace' even when we get it.

Some think that by preparing to deal with crises you make them more likely. I think the wiser judgment is the contrary. In this area at least if you want peace or stability it's better to prepare for war or instability.

Success is not assured but America is resolute: this is the best chance for peace we are likely to see for some years to come - and we are acting to help Israelis and Palestinians seize this chance.

It seems likely that many of the young who don't wait for others to call them artists but simply announce that they are don't have the patience to make art.

Parents should not smoke in order to discourage their kids from smoking. A child is more likely to smoke when they have been raised in the environment of a smoker.