“My definition of a decent society is one that first of all takes care of its losers, and protects its weak.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: society
Tags: society, John le Carre
Tag: John le Carre
If there is one eternal truth of
“If there is one eternal truth of politics, it is that there are always a dozen good reasons for doing nothing.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: politics
Tags: politics, John le Carre
Until we have a better relationship between
“Until we have a better relationship between private performance and the public truth, as was demonstrated with Watergate, we as the public are absolutely right to remain suspicious, contemptuous even, of the secrecy and the misinformation which is the digest of our news.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: truth
Tags: truth, John le Carre
I was quite able at the insignificant
“I was quite able at the insignificant work I did in MI6, but absolutely dysfunctional in my domestic life. I had no experience of fatherhood. I had no example of marital bliss or the family unit.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: experience
Tags: experience, John le Carre
The Cold War was over long before
“The Cold War was over long before it was officially declared dead.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: war
Tags: war, John le Carre
The monsters of our childhood do not
“The monsters of our childhood do not fade away, neither are they ever wholly monstrous. But neither, in my experience, do we ever reach a plane of detachment regarding our parents, however wise and old we may become. To pretend otherwise is to cheat.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: experience
Tags: experience, John le Carre
Until we have a better relationship between
“Until we have a better relationship between private performance and the public truth, as was demonstrated with Watergate, we as the public are absolutely right to remain suspicious, contemptuous even, of the secrecy and the misinformation which is the digest of our news.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: relationship
Tags: relationship, John le Carre
I worked for MI6 in the Sixties,
“I worked for MI6 in the Sixties, during the great witch-hunts, when the shared paranoia of the Cold War gripped the services.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: war
Tags: war, John le Carre
Love is whatever you can still betray.
“Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: love
Tags: love, John le Carre
History keeps her secrets longer than most
“History keeps her secrets longer than most of us. But she has one secret that I will reveal to you tonight in the greatest confidence. Sometimes there are no winners at all. And sometimes nobody needs to lose.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: history
Tags: history, John le Carre
If there is one eternal truth of
“If there is one eternal truth of politics, it is that there are always a dozen good reasons for doing nothing.”
— John le Carre
Author: John le Carre
Category: truth
Tags: truth, John le Carre