Depends Quote by John le Carré
![“[...] suppose you had done that, suppose it were true — [...] would you kill a man, an innocent man—’ ‘Mundt’s a killer himself.’ ‘Suppose he wasn’t. Suppose it were me they wanted to kill: would London do it?’ ‘It depends … it depends on the need …’ ‘Ah,’ said Fiedler contentedly, ‘it depends on…” quote by John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b9/john-le-carre-651_quote_suppose-you-had-done-that-suppose-it-wer_342638.jpg)
““[...] suppose you had done that, suppose it were true — [...] would you kill a man, an innocent man—’ ‘Mundt’s a killer himself.’ ‘Suppose he wasn’t. Suppose it were me they wanted to kill: would London do it?’ ‘It depends … it depends on the need …’ ‘Ah,’ said Fiedler contentedly, ‘it depends on the need. Like Stalin, in fact. The traffic accident and the statistics. That is a great relief.’ ‘Why?’ ‘[...] We’re all the same, you know, that’s the joke.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, 1963
Moral decisions hinge on personal needs and context, revealing the absurdity of absolute judgments about right and wrong.
In simple terms: Ethics depend on circumstance.
Key Takeaway
Consider context before judging actions.
Themes
ethics
war
human nature
relativism
Mood
tense
thought‑provoking
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- military decision‑making
- legal judgments
- personal dilemmas
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
moral ambiguity
necessity
psychological realism
Questions to Reflect On
- What personal need justifies a harmful act?
- How do we balance empathy with accountability?
A Different Perspective
May oversimplify complex moral landscapes.
