"We have to challenge the whole idea that it's acceptable for a society like Britain to have such a significant number of people who do not work one day of the week and don't have any possibility of improving the quality of their lives."

"By measuring the proportion of children living with the same parents from birth and whether their parents report a good quality relationship we are driving home the message that social programmes should promote family stability and avert breakdown."

"My view is pensioners don't have the one option that people of working age have. They can't really increase their income, because they are no longer able to work."

"When the news is good, the BBC view is: 'Get the government out of the picture quickly, don't allow them to say anything about it.' When the news is bad: 'Let's all dump on the government.'"

"Flattery is a kind of bad money, to which our vanity gives us currency."

"A man who cannot be enticed by money or intimidated by the threat of jail or death has two of the strongest weapons that anyone has to offer."

"True wealth is not measured in gold, but in the belief that the purest joy is found in giving without expectation."

"The three most important things a man has are, briefly, his private parts, his money, and his religious opinions."