The world of politics is always twenty years behind the world of thought.

Fiction will always be my greatest love with poetry close behind.

I always liked the magic of poetry but now I'm just starting to see behind the curtain of even the best poets how they've used tried and tested craft to create the illusion. Wonderful feeling of exhilaration to finally be there.

Never fear: Thank Home and Poetry and the Force behind both.

All those authors there most of whom of course I've never met. That's the poetry side that's the prose side that's the fishing and miscellaneous behind me. You get an affection for books that you've enjoyed.

Those who say we should dismantle the role of Poet Laureate altogether the trick they miss is that being called this thing with the weight of tradition behind it and with the association of the Royal family does allow you to have conversations and to open doors and wallets for the good of poetry in a way that nothing else would allow.

Poetry is an orphan of silence. The words never quite equal the experience behind them.

The central premise behind Oslo was that if Arafat were given enough legitimacy territory weapons and money he would use his power to fight terror and make peace with Israel.

I build a kind of wall between myself and t he model so that I can paint in peace behind it. Otherwise she might say something that confuses and distracts me.

For behind all imperialism is ultimately the imperialistic individual just as behind all peace is ultimately the peaceful individual.