I am more one for the story, I think, than the action.

He prefers his adventures second hand.

History is full of blank spaces, but good stories, invariably, are not.

It was clearly a lot more difficult in the field than in the office, where you could keep your distance and maintain a calculated composure. Being faced with real people was a far tougher call on one’s judgement.

...What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what happens. Events matter little, only stories of events affect us.

It's great storytelling, and an important story.