There is no such thing as a secure writer: every novel is an impossible mountain. — John le Carre Copy Share Image
Thank heaven, though, one of the few mistakes I haven't made is to talk about the unwritten book. — John le Carre Copy Share Image
Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes. — John le Carre Copy Share Image
“In every operation there is an above the line and a below the line. Above the line is what you do by… — John le Carré Copy Share Image
[My novels] introduce levels of intelligence ... moral doubt [and] self-doubt, which may not pertain [to real-world espionage]. — John le Carre Copy Share Image
Each my book feels like my last book. And then I think, like a dedicated alcoholic, that one more won't do me… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
I grew up in a completely bookless household. It was my father's boast that he had never read a book from end… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
There was an ITV television production of the second novel I wrote, called 'Murder of Quality.' It was a little murder story… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
Completing a book, it's a little like having a baby… There's a feeling of relief and satisfaction when you get to the… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
Agents of disruption, subversion, sabotage and disinformation tunnelers and smugglers, listeners and forgers, trainers and recruiters and talent spotters and couriers and… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
Most people like to read about intrigue and spies. I hope to provide a metaphor for the average reader's daily life. Most… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
I grew up in a completely bookless household. It was my father's boast that he had never read a book from end… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
I taught principally German language and literature at Eton. But any master with private pupils must be prepared to teach anything they… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
In my day, MI6 - which I called the Circus in the books - stank of wartime nostalgia. People were defined by… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold was the work of a wayward imagination brought to the end of its tether… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
I think that most of my books are part of some process of self-education, often about the places I go to. Most… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
I've never been able to write a book without one very strong character in my rucksack. — John le Carre Copy Share Image
More particularly, having a largely German-oriented education has made me very responsive to 19th-century German literature. — John le Carre Copy Share Image
If I had to put a name to it, I would wish that all my books were entertainments. I think the first… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
I made a series of wrong decisions about moderately recent books, and I've sold the rights to studios for ridiculous amounts of… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. I… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
During the Cold War, we lived in coded times when it wasn't easy and there were shades of grey and ambiguity. — John le Carre Copy Share Image
“You're history, Donohue. You think countries run the fucking world! Go back to fucking Sunday school. It's 'God save our multinational' they're singing these… — John le Carré Copy Share Image
When you're my age and you see a story, you better go for it pretty quickly. I'd just like to get a few more… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
The trouble is, when professional spies go out of their way to make a definitive statement about one of their own, the public tends… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
Ideologies have no heart of their own. They're the whores and angels of our striving selves. — John le Carre Copy Share Image
“Pain observed is journalistic pain. It's diplomatic pain. It's television pain, over as soon as you switch off your beastly set.” — John le Carré Copy Share Image
The greatest threat to mankind comes from the renunciation of individual scruple in favor of institutional denominators. . . . Real heroism lies, as… — John le Carre Copy Share Image
“and the wood smoke will roll out of the fireplace on to the carpet we paid too much for on that rainy afternoon in… — John le Carré Copy Share Image
“Middle children weep longer than their brothers and sisters. Over her mother’s shoulder, stilling her pains and her injured pride, Jackie Lacon watched the… — John le Carré Copy Share Image
![“[My novels] introduce levels of intelligence ... moral doubt [and] self-doubt, which may not pertain [to real-world espionage].” quote by John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/229/john-le-carre-651_books_my-novels-introduce-levels-of-intelligen_2477512.jpg)
