My feelings are those of a schoolboy getting in sight of the holidays. Or more seriously, my feelings are perhaps those of a matador who has decided not to enter the bull ring.

In a civilized society, all crimes are likely to be sins, but most sins are not and ought not to be treated as crimes. Man’s ultimate responsibility is to God alone.

Until you know that life is interesting – and find it so – you haven’t found your soul.

I hope that by going to visit the pope I have enabled everybody to see that the words Catholic and Protestant, as ordinarily used, are completely out of date. They are almost always used now purely for propaganda purposes. That is why so much trouble is caused by them.

I have asked myself once or twice lately what was my natural bent. I have no doubt at all: It is to look at each day for the evil of that day and have a go at it, and that is why I have never failed to have an acute interest in each morning’s letters.

Who knows whether in retirement I shall be tempted to the last infirmity of mundane minds, which is to write a book.

Once you start, there is no end to who is to go in and who is to be left out.

The long and distressing controversy over capital punishment is very unfair to anyone meditating murder.

In cities no one is quiet but many are lonely; in the country, people are quiet but few are lonely.

My feelings are those of a schoolboy getting in sight of the holidays. Or more seriously, my feelings are perhaps those of a matador who has decided not to enter the bull ring.

This country and the Commonwealth last Tuesday were not far from the Kingdom of Heaven.

Some of the press who speak loudly about the freedom of the press are themselves the enemies of freedom. Countless people dare not say a thing because they know it will be picked up and made a song of by the press. That limits freedom.