“If only political leaders would allow themselves to feel, as well as to think, the world might be a happier place.”

There can be no doubt that the average man blames much more than he praises. His instinct is to blame. If he is satisfied he says nothing; if he is not, he most illogically kicks up a row.

I’m a slave to this leaf in a diary that lists what I must do, what I must say, every half hour.

A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.

It’s no accident many accuse me of conducting public affairs with my heart instead of my head. Well, what if I do?.. Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either.

The only alternative to war is peace and the only road to peace is negotiations.

Whether women are better than men I cannot say – but I can say they are certainly no worse.

There is only one thing I hope to see before I die, and that is that my people should not need expressions of sympathy anymore.

It isn’t enough to believe in something; you have to have the stamina to meet obstacles and overcome them, to struggle.

It is not a sin to be seventy but it is also no joke.

We Jews have a secret weapon in our struggle with the Arabs; we have no place to go.

Not being beautiful was the true blessing. Not being beautiful forced me to develop my inner resources. The pretty girl has a handicap to overcome.

Fashion is an imposition, a reign on freedom.

It is true we have won all our wars, but we have paid for them. We don’t want victories anymore.

Zionism and pessimism are not compatible.

Can we today measure devotion to husband and children by our indifference to everything else?

We only want that which is given naturally to all peoples of the world, to be masters of our own fate, not of others, and in cooperation and friendship with others.

I profoundly feel that people are letting you down all the time.

You feel like you win when you play trivia with my brain and charades with my heart.

I was so focus on making sure everybody else was happy I lost track of my own feelings.

Stones grow, plants grow, and live, animals grow live and feel.

Whenever you interview fat people, you feel bad, because you know you’re not going to hire them.

What is pertinent is the calmness of beauty, its sense of restraint. It is as though the land knows of its own beauty, its own greatness, and feels no need to shout it.

But I wondered, how would I feel about killing someone? Now I know. It’s no big deal.

There are plenty of good Indian writers in English, and none of us feel we are carrying the burden of being a poster boy.