--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I made a series of wrong decisions about…" description: "\"I made a series of wrong decisions about moderately recent books, and I've sold the rights to studios for ridiculous amounts of money and the films hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/john-le-carre-651_amount_i-made-a-series-of-wrong-decisions-about_3169852.jpg" --- # I made a series of wrong decisions about moderately recent… ![“I made a series of wrong decisions about moderately recent books, and I've sold the rights to studios for ridiculous amounts of money and the films have never been made. That's the saddest thing of all, because they're locked up and no one else can make them.” quote by John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/john-le-carre-651_amount_i-made-a-series-of-wrong-decisions-about_3169852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/john-le-carre-651_amount_i-made-a-series-of-wrong-decisions-about_3169852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/john-le-carre-651_amount_i-made-a-series-of-wrong-decisions-about_3169852.jpg) > “I made a series of wrong decisions about moderately recent books, and I've sold the rights to studios for ridiculous amounts of money and the films have never been made. That's the saddest thing of all, because they're locked up and no one else can make them.” [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Regret over selling book rights that never materialized, feeling loss of creative potential. **In simple terms:** Regret selling rights to unmade films. Key Takeaway Consider retaining control over creative works. Themes regret creative ownership missed opportunity Mood reflective melancholic Type cautionary personal When to use this quote - publishing - film adaptation - rights management Key Concepts intellectual property authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - How could one protect ideas? - What alternatives exist for unused scripts? A Different Perspective The market may not guarantee production. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Saddest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddest/) [Wrong decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-decisions/) ## Related quotes > [When I was very young, I sold the rights to my work... through 2000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-gabriel/when-i-was-very-young-i-sold-the-rights-to-my-work-through-2000/) [Juan Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-gabriel/) > [If you sell the film rights to your book, it doesn't mean there will be a film. 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I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/changing-your-name-it-doesn-t-change-your-nature-look-at-sebastian/) [cassandra clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“You see, the best thing about wrong decisions is that they don’t prevent you from making the right decisions later on. It’s harder, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siobhan-vivian/you-see-the-best-thing-about-wrong-decisions-is-that-they-don-t/) [Siobhan Vivian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siobhan-vivian/) > [“In life, time can't stand still and it's unrealistic to attempt to create a state where it does. There again, time passes all too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/in-life-time-can-t-stand-still-and-it-s-unrealistic-to-attempt-to/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“people say that life is a battle ground and we are warriors.. but what I understood about life is that:- it doesn't operates us..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katyayani-kumari/people-say-that-life-is-a-battle-ground-and-we-are-warriors-but-what/) KATYAYANI KUMARI ## More by John le Carre > [The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. 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What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. 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