"I am confident that, in the end, common sense and justice will prevail. I'm an optimist, brought up on the belief that if you wait to the end of the story, you get to see the good people live happily ever after."

"Salman Rushdie, indeed any writer who abuses the prophet or indeed any prophet under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death."

"I've returned to being an amateur without any ties or strings attached, which gives me a freedom I never had before."

"I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the highlight of show business. I was born into a Christian home."

"It is a humble truth that the test of character in leadership is how one behaves in moments of unvarnished power."

"It is a subtle truth that breathe deeply, anchor your attention in this breath, and let the storm pass."

"It is a unyielding truth that a quiet mind perceives the subtle truths that noisy ambitions constantly drown out."

"If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of altruism that men have to reject."