---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was a secret agent, and still alive…"
description: "\"He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact attention to the detail of his profession.\" — Ian Fleming"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/ian-fleming-1862_agent_he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-th_2416133.jpg"
---

#  He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact…

![“He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact attention to the detail of his profession.” quote by Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/ian-fleming-1862_agent_he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-th_2416133.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/ian-fleming-1862_agent_he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-th_2416133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/ian-fleming-1862_agent_he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-th_2416133.jpg)

> “He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact attention to the detail of his profession.”

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A secret agent survives by meticulously mastering his craft and paying close attention to details.

**In simple terms:** Exact attention to detail keeps a spy alive.

Key Takeaway

Focus on details to succeed.

Themes

attention todetail survival craftsmanship

Mood

focused determined

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- professional work
- high‑risk missions
- personal discipline

Key Concepts

espionage precision

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you ensure precision in your work?
- What details matter most in your field?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting details can lead to failure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret agent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-agent/)

## Related quotes

> [In 'The Secret Agent,' it's basically a character that was admired by Theodore Kaczynski, which is some fan mail you don't really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/in-the-secret-agent-it-s-basically-a-character-that-was-admired-by/)

[Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/)

> [Even a secret agent can't lie to a Jewish mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-malkin/even-a-secret-agent-can-t-lie-to-a-jewish-mother/)

[Peter Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-malkin/)

> [If I wasn't an actor, I'd be a secret agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/if-i-wasn-t-an-actor-i-d-be-a-secret-agent/)

[Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/)

> [Before Jason Bourne, before Jack Ryan, there was Bond, James Bond, the original two-dimensional, world-saving secret agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/before-jason-bourne-before-jack-ryan-there-was-bond-james-bond-the/)

[Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/)

> [I don't think anyone should grow up wanting to go around killing people. I don't think anyone should grow up wanting to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-dalton/i-don-t-think-anyone-should-grow-up-wanting-to-go-around-killing/)

[Timothy Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-dalton/)

> [There's a big part of me that would love to be a secret agent. But if I showed up to do an investigation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/there-s-a-big-part-of-me-that-would-love-to-be-a-secret-agent-but-if/)

[Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/)

> [I have dashed across continents and oceans as a fugitive and have matched my wits with the police and secret agents seeking to deprive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-johnson/i-have-dashed-across-continents-and-oceans-as-a-fugitive-and-have/)

[Jack Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-johnson/)

> [Of all those in the army close to the commander, none is more intimate than the secret agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/of-all-those-in-the-army-close-to-the-commander-none-is-more-intimate/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [Everything was fine, but Weetzie wanted a baby. “How could you want one?” My Secret Agent Lover Man said. “There are way too many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/everything-was-fine-but-weetzie-wanted-a-baby-how-could-you-want-one/)

[Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/)

> [Bulk collection means all of your communications are being secretly intercepted. They are being stolen as they cross India, and they're being stored in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/bulk-collection-means-all-of-your-communications-are-being-secretly/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [ Of all rewards none \[is\] more liberal than those given to secret agents. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/of-all-rewards-none-is-more-liberal-than-those-given-to-secret-agents/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [Every imperial agent wants to reduce what is possible to what is available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/every-imperial-agent-wants-to-reduce-what-is-possible-to-what-is/)

[Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/)

> [To be the agent whose touch changes nature from a wild force to a work of art is inspiration of the highest order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rodale/to-be-the-agent-whose-touch-changes-nature-from-a-wild-force-to-a/)

Robert Rodale

> [You can change. And you can be an agent of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/you-can-change-and-you-can-be-an-agent-of-change/)

[Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/)

> [My first job was a film called 'Storm Damage' for the BBC. I was 16 and working with really respected British actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/my-first-job-was-a-film-called-storm-damage-for-the-bbc-i-was-16-and/)

[Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/)

## More by Ian Fleming

> [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [All women love semi-rape. They love to be taken.It was his sweet brutality against my bruised body that made his act of love so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/all-women-love-semi-rape-they-love-to-be-taken-it-was-his-sweet/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Shooting hell out of a piece of cardboard doesn't prove anything' was his single-line introduction to the Small-arms Defence Manual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/shooting-hell-out-of-a-piece-of-cardboard-doesn-t-prove-anything-was/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Danger, like a third man, was standing in the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/danger-like-a-third-man-was-standing-in-the-room/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Those who deserve to die, die the death they deserve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/those-who-deserve-to-die-die-the-death-they-deserve/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Mr Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: 'Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/mr-bond-they-have-a-saying-in-chicago-once-is-happenstance-twice-is/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“There was no sign of life round the domed emplacement of the Moonraker, and the concrete, already beginning to shimmer in the early morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/there-was-no-sign-of-life-round-the-domed-emplacement-of-the/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [The World Is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/the-world-is-not-enough/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Somebody said that to become very rich you have to be helped by a combination of remarkable circumstances and an unbroken run of luck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/somebody-said-that-to-become-very-rich-you-have-to-be-helped-by-a/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [Worry is a dividend paid to disaster before it is due](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/worry-is-a-dividend-paid-to-disaster-before-it-is-due/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Bond smelt the smell of danger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/bond-smelt-the-smell-of-danger/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards thier goal. The great scientists, the philosophers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/all-the-greatest-men-are-maniacs-they-are-possessed-by-a-mania-which/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.' He laughed. 'But don't let me down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/surround-yourself-with-human-beings-my-dear-james-they-are-easier-to/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/the-scent-and-smoke-and-sweat-of-a-casino-are-nauseating-at-three-in/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Was it true what The Big Man had said, that she would have nothing to do with men? He doubted it. She seemed open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/was-it-true-what-the-big-man-had-said-that-she-would-have-nothing-to/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

[Explore all 199 Ian Fleming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

## More Agent quotes

> [I said to my agent, 'I want short, sharp, well-paid jobs because I haven't got time for anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-whitelaw/i-said-to-my-agent-i-want-short-sharp-well-paid-jobs-because-i-haven/)

[Billie Whitelaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-whitelaw/)

> [I was in Vietnam, and I was exposed to Agent Orange. And there's a high relationship between people that were exposed to Agent Orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-jordan/i-was-in-vietnam-and-i-was-exposed-to-agent-orange-and-there-s-a-high/)

[Hamilton Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-jordan/)

> [My first job was a film called 'Storm Damage' for the BBC. I was 16 and working with really respected British actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/my-first-job-was-a-film-called-storm-damage-for-the-bbc-i-was-16-and/)

[Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/)

> [In 2011, I announced that I was going to retire, and my agent panicked. So she says: 'No, no, no. You have to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/in-2011-i-announced-that-i-was-going-to-retire-and-my-agent-panicked/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [In a fit of pique, I said to my agent, 'I'm going to write something you can sell.' The idea was to write a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/in-a-fit-of-pique-i-said-to-my-agent-i-m-going-to-write-something-you/)

[Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/)

> [You can change. And you can be an agent of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/you-can-change-and-you-can-be-an-agent-of-change/)

[Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/)

> [Anuj Bahari has always been a really good literary agent for me. What a good agent does is that he manages many of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/anuj-bahari-has-always-been-a-really-good-literary-agent-for-me-what/)

[Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/)

> [To be the agent whose touch changes nature from a wild force to a work of art is inspiration of the highest order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rodale/to-be-the-agent-whose-touch-changes-nature-from-a-wild-force-to-a/)

Robert Rodale

> [Every imperial agent wants to reduce what is possible to what is available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/every-imperial-agent-wants-to-reduce-what-is-possible-to-what-is/)

[Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/)

> [I wonder what an agent would do if he had to travel with the band he's booking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lou-williams/i-wonder-what-an-agent-would-do-if-he-had-to-travel-with-the-band-he/)

[Mary Lou Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lou-williams/)

> [I never had trouble getting an agent. I went out and got my first couple roles, and literally within six months I never had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-norris/i-never-had-trouble-getting-an-agent-i-went-out-and-got-my-first/)

[Dean Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-norris/)

> [When it comes to transfers, I leave everything with my agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hulk/when-it-comes-to-transfers-i-leave-everything-with-my-agent/)

[Hulk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hulk/)

> [The short story and the truth is that I was taking vocal lessons here in New York... One day, instead of my lesson, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-gore/the-short-story-and-the-truth-is-that-i-was-taking-vocal-lessons-here/)

[Lesley Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-gore/)

> [I don't know if I'd want to be a Secret Service agent. In the movies, it's exciting and romantic and all that. Really, most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-quaid/i-don-t-know-if-i-d-want-to-be-a-secret-service-agent-in-the-movies/)

[Dennis Quaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-quaid/)

> [I remember when I was younger. Dad's agent came round, and I asked if she would represent me. She didn't represent children at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-tomlinson/i-remember-when-i-was-younger-dad-s-agent-came-round-and-i-asked-if/)

[Eleanor Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-tomlinson/)

Browse all 466 Agent quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact attention to the detail of his profession.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ian Fleming"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-thanks-to-his-exact-attention/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agent"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-thanks-to-his-exact-attention/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/ian-fleming-1862_agent_he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-th_2416133.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/ian-fleming-1862_agent_he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-th_2416133.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb6/ian-fleming-1862_agent_he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-th_2416133.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact attention to the detail of his profession.” — Ian Fleming",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ian Fleming",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "He was a secret agent, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-thanks-to-his-exact-attention/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/he-was-a-secret-agent-and-still-alive-thanks-to-his-exact-attention/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
