My greatest regret as a writer is that I've never been able to include as many jokes as I'd like. Robert Harris More Quotes by Robert Harris More Quotes From Robert Harris Of all human activities, writing is the one for which it is easiest to find excuses not to begin – the desk’s too big, the desk’s too small, there’s too much noise, there’s too much quiet, it’s too hot, too cold, too early, too late. I had learned over the years to ignore them all, and simply to start. Robert Harris hot writing years Golf requires only a few simple Rules and Regulations to guide the players in the true nature of its sporting appeal. The spirit of the game is its own referee. Robert Harris player simple golf The true currency of life is time, not money, and we've all got a limited stock of that. Robert Harris currency life-is If one first gives himself to the Lord, all other giving is easy. Robert Harris easy giving firsts Politics is never a victory, it's just the remorseless grinding forward of events. Robert Harris remorseless victory events You can't make sense of the present unless a part of you lives in the past. Robert Harris make-sense past But clever people all make one mistake. They all think everyone else is stupid. And everyone isn't stupid. They just take a bit more time, that's all. Robert Harris stupid clever mistake Cicero most reminds me of Harold Wilson. Both men knew how to keep the show on the road. Robert Harris wilson shows men I write as well as I can. I'm a journalist at heart, so it's the story that matters. Robert Harris stories heart writing In a way I'm almost more rueful about the notion of having a non-ideological Labour party than I am about the personality of Tony Blair. Robert Harris party personality way Storytelling has a narcotic power. Robert Harris narcotics storytelling History is what we bring to it, not just the events themselves, but how we interpret those events. Robert Harris events First comes an idea. Then, characters begin to evolve out of the landscape of that idea. And then, finally, characters dominate: plot is simply a function of what these people might do or be. Everything has to flow from their personalities; otherwise it will not be emotionally engaging, or plausible. Robert Harris character people ideas If you spend too long trying to avoid death, you will be dead in at least one way. Robert Harris trying long death The natural impulse of men is to follow and whoever has the strongest sense of purpose will always dominate. Robert Harris purpose natural men You can't ever win the war on crime, or the war on terror. You can't repeal human nature. Robert Harris human-nature winning war By dawn he had surrendered, gratefully, to the old inertia, the product of always seeing both sides of every question. Robert Harris inertia dawn sides Another of Cicero's maxims was that if you must do something unpopular, you might as well do it wholeheartedly, for in politics there is no credit to be won by timidity. Robert Harris wells credit might The financial world is at the cutting edge of high technology. Robert Harris cutting technology world To be brave, by definition, one has first to be afraid. Robert Harris definitions brave firsts
