Espionage Quotes · Page 3

[My novels] introduce levels of intelligence ... moral doubt [and] self-doubt, which may not pertain [to real-world espionage].

— John le Carre

To get a sense of what the real world of espionage is like, imagine the James Bond Theme performed by a junior…

— John Alejandro King

Who would have thought that in the 1950s, Burbank was a hotbed of international espionage?

— Annie Jacobsen

Truth is suppressed, not to protect the country from enemy agents but to protect the Government of the day against the people.

— Roy Hattersley

You get so used to lying that after a while it's hard to remember what the truth is.

— Philip Agee

“To take command, one must first create the illusion that command is already yours.”

— Denise Domning

Maha Kumbh' blends elements from Hindu mythology with the international espionage thriller. Nothing like it has ever been attempted on Indian television.

— Gautam Rode

The CCP is spreading its espionage efforts throughout our agriculture industry, education systems, TikTok, Wall Street, and much more.

— Michael Waltz

What the press never does say is who the leaker is and why he wants the story leaked. Yet, more often than…

— Daniel Patrick Moynihan

“He motioned for Elpidio to sit down after watching him pace the room in circles. Elpidio pulled out a chair and admitted,…

— Carolyn M. Bowen

I was trained in Army Intelligence, but spent most of my army career in the infantry. But like many people of my…

— Nelson DeMille

The Espionage Act is very broadly written. It doesn't make distinguish - or it doesn't make distinctions between categories of people that…

— Asha Rangappa

“Cono felt embarrassed by the thought that he might have been just another pitiful orphan trying to turn his friends into family,…

— Victor Robert Lee

“If you agree to work for us, half the time you won't know the purpose of your duties . . . and…

— James Alan Gardner

In most espionage novels, the characters risk their lives trying to save somebody or while protecting a nation from some threat. In…

— Chris Pavone

Deception is a sort of seduction. In love and war, adultery and espionage, deceit can only succeed if the deceived party is…

— Ben Macintyre

“A man who lives a part, not to others but alone, is exposed to obvious psychological dangers. In itself the practice of…

— John le Carré

“Smiley himself was one of those solitaires who seem to have come into the world fully educated at the age of eighteen.…

— John le Carré

Hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct do not apply. If the United States is to survive, long-standing American concepts of 'fair play'…

— Jimmy Doolittle

“Langley bred a certain type of person with great intention. The human resources department required nearly as sophisticated of analysts as the…

— Lynn Blackmar

“Their conversation ceased abruptly with the entry of an oddly-shaped man whose body resembled a certain vegetable. He was a thickset fellow…

— Jeff Phillips

“Operational inquiry has established that Danylo Shablia assisted in the espionage activities of his son, Peter Shablia, helping him organize an anti-Soviet…

— Anonymous

I have fantasy jobs like working in retail at a department store just selling rich housewives outfits and saying 'this looks fabulous…

— Mike Ness

“There's no way out," he announced with satisfaction, "and no amount of wishful dreaming will produce one. The demon won't go back…

— John le Carré

“Nothing can stop an enemy from picking wireless messages out of the free air - and nothing did.”

— Barbara Tuchman

“Being a spy was something like standing on the south shore fending off a hurricane with a $2 poncho and an umbrella.”

— Lynn Blackmar

Internet: privacy at total risk. I begin to think it's time for us to start spying on ourselves.

— Jean-Paul Malfatti

When you're dealing with espionage and covert affairs, sometimes the secret is more exciting than the knowledge.

— Jeffrey Donovan

Kink isn't a crime; conspiring with a foreign power to commit espionage, fix election is. Stay focused.

— Justin Miller

It takes a very strong head to keep secrets for years and not go slightly mad. It isn't wise to be advised…

— C.P. Snow

It's easy to forget what intelligence consists of: luck and speculation. Here and there a windfall, here and there a scoop.

— John le Carre

All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used. Offer the enemy bait to lure him.

— Sun Tzu

In civilizations without boats, dreams dry up, espionage takes the place of adventure and the police take the place of pirates.

— Michel Foucault

The habits and language of clandestinity can intoxicate even its own practitioners.

— William Colby

“Captain Miller, we know that you are connected with military intelligence, and can obtain classified documents.”

— Karl Braungart

“The sensation was an explosion of feelings, leaving in its place a pleasured memory of that moment. That, thought Seth, was pure…

— Kenneth Eade

“My father once told me that it’s not enough for a man to be lucky; that a guy has to know when…

— Henry Mosquera

“Society tends to stick labels on everything and everyone. The label that is given to you will stick with you for a…

— Kenneth Eade

We know that the wages of secrecy are corruption. We know that in secrecy error, undetected, will flourish and subvert.

— J. Robert Oppenheimer

All the governments just want to have more power when it comes to economic espionage, diplomatic manipulation and political influence.

— Edward Snowden