--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I…" description: "\"I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I was responsible for the deaths of millions of Britons. What happened is that MI5 asked me to trail Mehan Asni..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/mark-lawson-69093_britons_i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i_1455038.jpg" --- # I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I was responsible… ![“I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I was responsible for the deaths of millions of Britons. What happened is that MI5 asked me to trail Mehan Asnik, a suspected terrorist, through the streets of London. He had escaped from our security services while infected with a plague virus. Tracking him…” quote by Mark Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/mark-lawson-69093_britons_i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i_1455038.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/mark-lawson-69093_britons_i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i_1455038.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/mark-lawson-69093_britons_i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i_1455038.jpg) > “I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I was responsible for the deaths of millions of Britons. What happened is that MI5 asked me to trail Mehan Asnik, a suspected terrorist, through the streets of London. He had escaped from our security services while infected with a plague virus. Tracking him on CCTV, I swear I had him but then, in the rush-hour bustle, lost him. When the secure mobile rang, it was Harry Pearce at Thames House, chewing me out for the slaughter that had been caused by my mistake.” [Mark Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A spy admits his failure led to a massive loss of life, highlighting the heavy burden of responsibility. **In simple terms:** A spy’s mistake caused many deaths. Key Takeaway Recognize and own the consequences of actions. Themes responsibility mistake consequences Mood guilt tense Type dramatic reflective When to use this quote - intelligence work - crisis management - public safety Key Concepts ethics accountability terrorism Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with guilt after a critical error? - Can a single mistake define a career? A Different Perspective The scale of tragedy may be exaggerated for dramatic effect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Britons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britons/) [Bustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bustle/) [Chewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chewing/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Confession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Happened Mi5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened-mi5-5242821/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london/) [London Escaped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london-escaped-5242823/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Mi5 Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mi5-asked-5242822/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Mobile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mobile/) [My mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-mistakes/) [Plague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plague/) [Responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsible/) [Rush hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rush-hour/) [Secure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secure/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaughter/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Swear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swear/) [Terrorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist/) [Thames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thames/) [Tracking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tracking/) [Trails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trails/) [Viruses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viruses/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) [Yesterday Responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday-responsible-5242824/) ## Related quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [The Britons bankrupted me. I came to their country with £10 in my pocket and they gave me £1 back. But in between I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-grobbelaar/the-britons-bankrupted-me-i-came-to-their-country-with-10-in-my/) [Bruce Grobbelaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-grobbelaar/) > [Britons put up with, Americans fix, Canadians cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/britons-put-up-with-americans-fix-canadians-cope/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Why do Britons keep stabbing each other in August? Why do seaside hotels burn down in August? Why do children disappear in August, examinations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-jenkins/why-do-britons-keep-stabbing-each-other-in-august-why-do-seaside/) [Simon Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-jenkins/) > [I propose that 100,000 degenerate Britons should be forcibly sterilized and others put in labour camps to halt the decline of the British race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-propose-that-100-000-degenerate-britons-should-be-forcibly/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [We should be the natural home for the millions of Britons of immigrant origin. But we're not. Because too often we've sounded like people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-maude/we-should-be-the-natural-home-for-the-millions-of-britons-of/) [Francis Maude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-maude/) > [Britons still commemorate the Battle of Cable Street in London. There are still pop songs in Britain that reference Sir Oswald Mosley and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/britons-still-commemorate-the-battle-of-cable-street-in-london-there/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [“Americans may say they love our accents (I have been accused of sounding 'like Princess Di') but the more thoughtful ones resent and rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/americans-may-say-they-love-our-accents-i-have-been-accused-of/) [Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/) > [Even the lowest of the Hindus, the Pariah, has less of the brute in him than a Briton in a similar social status. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/even-the-lowest-of-the-hindus-the-pariah-has-less-of-the-brute-in-him/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Democracy isn't just for people in the Middle East, but Britons, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/democracy-isn-t-just-for-people-in-the-middle-east-but-britons-too/) [Heather Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brooke/) > [Britons are very respectful - if they want to take a photo, they ask politely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-sane/britons-are-very-respectful-if-they-want-to-take-a-photo-they-ask/) [Leroy Sane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-sane/) > [The Britons are quite separated from all the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/the-britons-are-quite-separated-from-all-the-world/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [Rule, Britannia, rule the waves; Britons never will be slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomson/rule-britannia-rule-the-waves-britons-never-will-be-slaves/) [James Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomson/) > [From the time of the North Briton of the unprincipled Wilkes , a notion has been entertained that the moral spine in Scotland is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galt/from-the-time-of-the-north-briton-of-the-unprincipled-wilkes-a-notion/) [John Galt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galt/) > [Most Britons still lived and died without encountering anyone whose skin colour was different from their own. Slaves, in short, did not threaten, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/most-britons-still-lived-and-died-without-encountering-anyone-whose/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) ## More by Mark Lawson > [Office tends to confer a dreadful plausibility on even the most negligible of those who hold it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawson/office-tends-to-confer-a-dreadful-plausibility-on-even-the-most/) [Mark Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawson/) > [One of the things which separates British and American culture is the reverence for the flag in American culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawson/one-of-the-things-which-separates-british-and-american-culture-is-the/) [Mark Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawson/) > [Critics are giving marks for originality, acting, photography and scripting, while mass audiences are more drawn to familiarity of genre, stars they would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawson/critics-are-giving-marks-for-originality-acting-photography-and/) [Mark Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawson/) [Explore all 4 Mark Lawson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawson/) ## More Britons quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [From the time of the North Briton of the unprincipled Wilkes , a notion has been entertained that the moral spine in Scotland is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galt/from-the-time-of-the-north-briton-of-the-unprincipled-wilkes-a-notion/) [John Galt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galt/) > [Rule, Britannia, rule the waves; Britons never will be slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomson/rule-britannia-rule-the-waves-britons-never-will-be-slaves/) [James Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomson/) > [The Britons are quite separated from all the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/the-britons-are-quite-separated-from-all-the-world/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [Britons are very respectful - if they want to take a photo, they ask politely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-sane/britons-are-very-respectful-if-they-want-to-take-a-photo-they-ask/) [Leroy Sane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-sane/) > [Democracy isn't just for people in the Middle East, but Britons, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/democracy-isn-t-just-for-people-in-the-middle-east-but-britons-too/) [Heather Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brooke/) > [Even the lowest of the Hindus, the Pariah, has less of the brute in him than a Briton in a similar social status. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/even-the-lowest-of-the-hindus-the-pariah-has-less-of-the-brute-in-him/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“Americans may say they love our accents (I have been accused of sounding 'like Princess Di') but the more thoughtful ones resent and rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/americans-may-say-they-love-our-accents-i-have-been-accused-of/) [Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/) > [Britons still commemorate the Battle of Cable Street in London. There are still pop songs in Britain that reference Sir Oswald Mosley and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/britons-still-commemorate-the-battle-of-cable-street-in-london-there/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [We should be the natural home for the millions of Britons of immigrant origin. But we're not. Because too often we've sounded like people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-maude/we-should-be-the-natural-home-for-the-millions-of-britons-of/) [Francis Maude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-maude/) > [I propose that 100,000 degenerate Britons should be forcibly sterilized and others put in labour camps to halt the decline of the British race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-propose-that-100-000-degenerate-britons-should-be-forcibly/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Why do Britons keep stabbing each other in August? Why do seaside hotels burn down in August? Why do children disappear in August, examinations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-jenkins/why-do-britons-keep-stabbing-each-other-in-august-why-do-seaside/) [Simon Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-jenkins/) > [Britons put up with, Americans fix, Canadians cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/britons-put-up-with-americans-fix-canadians-cope/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [The Britons bankrupted me. I came to their country with £10 in my pocket and they gave me £1 back. But in between I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-grobbelaar/the-britons-bankrupted-me-i-came-to-their-country-with-10-in-my/) [Bruce Grobbelaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-grobbelaar/) > [Most Britons still lived and died without encountering anyone whose skin colour was different from their own. Slaves, in short, did not threaten, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/most-britons-still-lived-and-died-without-encountering-anyone-whose/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) [Browse all 57 Britons quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britons/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I was responsible for the deaths of millions of Britons. What happened is that MI5 asked me to trail Mehan Asnik, a suspected terrorist, through the streets of London. He had escaped from our security services while infected with a plague virus. Tracking him on CCTV, I swear I had him but then, in the rush-hour bustle, lost him. When the secure mobile rang, it was Harry Pearce at Thames House, chewing me out for the slaughter that had been caused by my mistake.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Lawson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawson/i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i-was-responsible-for-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Britons" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawson/i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i-was-responsible-for-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/mark-lawson-69093_britons_i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i_1455038.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/mark-lawson-69093_britons_i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i_1455038.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cd/mark-lawson-69093_britons_i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i_1455038.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I was responsible for the deaths of millions of Britons. What…” — Mark Lawson", "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": "Mark Lawson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have a confession to make....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawson/i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i-was-responsible-for-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawson/i-have-a-confession-to-make-yesterday-i-was-responsible-for-the/#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 } } ] } ```