The writing career is not a romantic one. The writer's life may be colorful but his work itself is rather drab.

Forget romantic fiction a survey has found that most women would rather read a good book than go shopping have sex or sleep.

There were two sides to David Lean: on the one side he was kind of a rather stiff disciplined Englishman. And then he had this kind of romantic side to him. I think being true to both sides of your nature is important.

Although some people think I am a romantic novelist I have always thought of myself as a rather gritty radical historian.

If it's a romantic holiday the only thing I need is my wife. We love quiet and calm places where we can't be disturbed. Neither of us likes being in busy places we would much rather stay in our hotel room and enjoy each other's company.

Middle age is when a guy keeps turning off lights for economical rather than romantic reasons.

I work on words quite separately to music. They're both ongoing and I don't ever feel like I'm working in a cycle in that respect because it's every day anyway no matter what I'm doing. Then I get to a point when I've collected together enough words that seem like they want to be songs rather than poems or sometimes not.

The respect for human rights is nowadays not so much a matter of having international standards but rather questions of compliance with those standards.

I respect people who feel things passionately. I do. But when someone is a judge that is not what they should bring to the bench. It is not really passion except in rare instances that serves the bench well. It is rather an ability to understand the law and follow it.

Never respect men merely for their riches but rather for their philanthropy we do not value the sun for its height but for its use.

Often people display a curious respect for a man drunk rather like the respect of simple races for the insane... There is something awe-inspiring in one who has lost all inhibitions.

It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect for everything and everybody.

In Europe art has to a large degree taken the place of religion. In America it seems rather to be science.

I should like to repeat what I stated recently in the Jeddah Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia: It won't be the religion but rather the world-view of some of its followers that shall be made current.

The equation of religion with belief is rather recent.

So much of religion is exegesis. I would rather follow in the footprints of Christ than all of the dogma.

I hate organized religion. I think you have to love thy neighbor as thyself. I think you have to pick your own God and be true to him. I always say 'him' rather than 'her.' Maybe it's because of my generation but I don't like the idea of a female God. I see God as a benevolent male.

Religious people often prefer to be right rather than compassionate. Often they don't want to give up their egotism. They want their religion to endorse their ego their identity.

The relationship of the two problems is rather the reverse. To a great extent disarmament is dependent on guarantees of peace. Security comes first and disarmament second.

When Luke and Laura dated in 'General Hospital' when I was a kid I was very excited. And that was a rather pathetic relationship if you break it down because let's face it: he raped her... and then they got married. There's all kinds of things that TV does to relationships.

Yes I don't believe that the inter-Korean relationship has quote 'deteriorated' since I assumed office. Rather I believe that the relationship between the two Koreas is entering into a new phase - a time of transition. And so I think that the North Koreans are trying to see what they can build with this with my new administration.

Idleness does drive me crazy but I'd rather read or write than do anything just to work. A kind of respect has been instilled in me for acting: I love it too much to ever have a bad relationship with it.

I always say I'd rather be miserable by myself than unhappy in a relationship.

I did learn one great lesson from a past relationship and that was to never talk about relationships in print again because I'd rather live my private life than read about it.