42 John le Carre Quotes for You to Enjoy

John le Carre

English Writer

Born: Oct 19, 1931

Good Me People Think World You

Related authors: Arthur C. Clarke D. H. Lawrence Douglas Adams Gilbert K. Chesterton John Ruskin Ricky Gervais Rudyard Kipling Thomas Paine

Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love. John le Carre

Love You Love Is Whatever Betray Betrayal Only Still Happen

I suffer from the same frustration that every decent American suffers from. That is, that you begin to wonder whether decent liberal instincts, decent humanitarian instincts, can actually penetrate the right-wing voice, get through the steering of American opinion by the mass media. John le Carre

You Frustration Every Liberal Right-Wing Penetrate Voice Steering Through Mass Instincts Mass Media Opinion Wonder Begin Get American Same Decent Whether Media Suffer Suffers Actually Humanitarian

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

Wise Experience Old Parents Become Otherwise Monsters Monstrous Our Neither Detachment Pretend Fade Cheat Reach However May Childhood Regarding Plane Wholly Away Ever

America has entered one of its periods of historic madness, but this is the worst I can remember. John le Carre

Madness Remember Worst Entered Periods Historic America

The Cold War was over long before it was officially declared dead. John le Carre

War Long Before Cold Cold War Over Dead Officially

For better or worse, I've been involved in the description of political conflict. John le Carre

Conflict Better Political Worse Involved Been Description

Fools, most linguists. Damn all to say in one language, so they learn another and say damn all in that. John le Carre

Language Fools Damn Say Most Learn Another

You have no idea how humiliating it was, as a boy, to suddenly have all your clothes, your toys, snatched by the bailiff. I mean we were a middle-class family, it's not as if it was happening up and down the street. It made me ashamed, I felt dirty. John le Carre

Family Me You Made Clothes Down Humiliating No Idea Dirty Idea Toys Felt Boy How Were Snatched Up Up And Down Happening Middle-Class Family Ashamed Mean Your Suddenly Street

Novelists are not equipped to make a movie, in my opinion. They make their own movie when they write: they're casting, they're dressing the scene, they're working out where the energy of the scene is coming from and they're also relying tremendously on the creative imagination of the reader. John le Carre

I mean, I'm in the business of storytelling, not message making. John le Carre

Business Message Making Storytelling Mean

When I was 16 or 17, anyone could have had me if they sang the right song and recruited me in the right way. Which is why I've always had a sneaking understanding for people who took the wrong route. That doesn't mean to say I took it or even contemplated it myself. John le Carre

Myself Me People Song Understanding Took Way Right Way Say Could Had Wrong Contemplated Always Sneaking Anyone Which Mean Sang Who Even Why Route Right

I've had nothing to do with the intelligence world since I left it, in any shade or variety. John le Carre

Intelligence World Nothing Shade Variety Had Since Left Any

I want to be like Ford Madox Ford. I want to be talking to somebody across a fire, and I want him to join me and listen to me, and if he is fidgeting in his chair, I know I am not doing my job. I am a storyteller, and I know most people like a story. John le Carre

Like every novelist, I fantasise about film. Novelists are not equipped to make a movie, in my opinion. They make their own movie when they write: they're casting, they're dressing the scene, they're working out where the energy of the scene is coming from, and they're also relying tremendously on the creative imagination of the reader. John le Carre

Creative Own Energy Every Imagination Tremendously Out Dressing About Scene Relying Casting Write Like Also Make Reader Opinion Equipped Coming Where In My Opinion Movie Working Novelist Novelists Film

If you're growing up in a chaotic world without reason, your instinct is to become a performer and control the circumstances around you. You lead from weakness into strength; you have an undefended back. John le Carre

Strength You World Become Control Back Chaotic Circumstances Weakness Lead Instinct Performer Around Without Up Your Reason Growing Growing Up

I began writing when I was still in the British Foreign Service, and it was then understood that even if you wrote about butterfly collecting, you used another name. John le Carre

Service You Writing Collecting About Name Wrote Another Foreign Understood Still Foreign Service Began Then Used Even Butterfly British

Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes. John le Carre

Book Seeing Having Like Cubes Oxen Movie Turned Your

People who've had very unhappy childhoods are pretty good at inventing themselves. If nobody invents you for yourself, nothing is left but to invent yourself for others. John le Carre

Good You Yourself People Unhappy Invent Nothing Others Pretty Pretty Good Inventing Had Nobody Left Very Childhoods Themselves

In the '60s - and right up to the present day - the identity of a member of the British Secret Services was and is, quite rightly, a state secret. To divulge it is a crime. The Services may choose to leak a name when it pleases them. John le Carre

Day Crime State Secret Pleases Rightly Member Name Leak Identity Up Quite May Them Choose Right Present Services British

If there is one eternal truth of politics, it is that there are always a dozen good reasons for doing nothing. John le Carre

Politics Truth Good Nothing Always Doing Eternal Reasons Dozen

I've always had difficulties with female characters. John le Carre

Difficulties Characters Had Female Always Female Characters

I don't know whether it's age or maturity, but I certainly find myself committed more and more to the looser forms of Western democracy at any price. John le Carre

Myself Democracy Age Maturity Find More More And More Price Know Looser Western Committed Any Whether Forms Certainly

A committee is an animal with four back legs. John le Carre

Animal Back Committee Legs Four

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