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I asked them if they were telling me that in Northern Ireland we will have to go on for another 20, 30 or 40 years suffering as we have suffered . . . in effect, they said: 'That is it' - Gordon Wilson, Irish senator whose daughter died in the 1987 bombing at Enniskillen, after a secret meeting with the IRA

This is a triumph for people who wish to ignore technology - Sir Bernard Ingham, on the Grand National fiasco

Age has mental pleasures to compensate. Of course, I regret sometimes the beautiful fresh bodies. But you can buy those in the market - Franco Zeffirelli, film director

Right and wrong matter less in Hong Kong than the fact that China is very big, while Chris Patten is very small - Robert Cottrell, Hong Kong expert

If life had dealt her a manager of a local bank, she wouldn't have complained. Well, life has dealt her a prime minister - Lord Archer on Norma Major

Deodorant was virtually unknown in the years before television. We either washed or smelt - Roy Hattersley

We can't have anyone too common looking. It would upset my children - Barbara Cartland describing the actress to play her in a film about her life

Oscar night reminds me of fairs which give awards for the best cow - Costa Gavras, film director

Chess doesn't run in families. It comes from nowhere - Nigel Short

What I dislike most about the House of Commons is that nobody will admit they have been wrong - Tessa Jowell, Labour MP