---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that is so interesting. It is le…"
description: "\"I think that is so interesting. It is le Carré. There must be so much of him when he was younger. He's an interesting character. I don't want to say th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/tom-hiddleston-1633_active_i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le_2711209.png"
---

#  I think that is so interesting. It is le Carré. There must…

![“I think that is so interesting. It is le Carré. There must be so much of him when he was younger. He's an interesting character. I don't want to say the word &quot;passive&quot; because there is something very active about the way he is passive, if that makes any sense: the nature of his watching and his…” quote by Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/tom-hiddleston-1633_active_i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le_2711209.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/tom-hiddleston-1633_active_i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le_2711209.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/tom-hiddleston-1633_active_i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le_2711209.png)

> “I think that is so interesting. It is le Carré. There must be so much of him when he was younger. He's an interesting character. I don't want to say the word "passive" because there is something very active about the way he is passive, if that makes any sense: the nature of his watching and his listening is active. It is always so alive because he is, essentially, a spy.”

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote reflects on the paradox of passive observation being an active, essential part of espionage, highlighting the dynamic nature of a spy’s vigilance.

**In simple terms:** Being a spy is actively listening while appearing passive.

Key Takeaway

Embrace active listening even when seeming passive.

Themes

spy observation paradox activity vigilance

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical insightful

When to use this quote

- Intelligence work
- creative problem solving
- personal development
- mindful communication

Key Concepts

Active listening paradoxical behavior espionage dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you be more actively present in seemingly passive roles?
- What does “active passive” mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Passive stance can limit impact if not paired with active engagement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Interesting characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-characters/) [Spy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spy/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [You can make an interesting character in a small portion of a movie, for a character that doesn't have that much on the page,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/you-can-make-an-interesting-character-in-a-small-portion-of-a-movie/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [ I still have a hard time saying who Johnny \[ Cash \] is in one sentence. He seemed so contradictory in his actions, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-still-have-a-hard-time-saying-who-johnny-cash-is-in-one-sentence-he/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [I’m a nudist by trade and hobby. I grew up in LA and I’ve been fortunate enough to be doing this for a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-starr/i-m-a-nudist-by-trade-and-hobby-i-grew-up-in-la-and-i-ve-been/)

[Martin Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-starr/)

> [The script is really always the main attraction, and then there's whether there is an interesting character and great people around you. Those are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/the-script-is-really-always-the-main-attraction-and-then-there-s/)

[Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/)

> [Michael, from 'Six Dance Lessons...' He was somebody who had a lot of self-loathing; being a gay man who lost his family and felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-jackson/michael-from-six-dance-lessons-he-was-somebody-who-had-a-lot-of-self/)

[Cheyenne Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-jackson/)

> [The interesting thing about Hain is that he's not a very interesting character. He's not fabulously clever. He's not a great policeman. He's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-coltraine/the-interesting-thing-about-hain-is-that-he-s-not-a-very-interesting/)

[Robbie Coltraine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-coltraine/)

> [Id like to be in anything that tells a good story and has an interesting character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/id-like-to-be-in-anything-that-tells-a-good-story-and-has-an/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [You know that's why people don't like unlikeable characters. It's not that they're not interesting. Everybody knows the most interesting character in a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/you-know-that-s-why-people-don-t-like-unlikeable-characters-it-s-not/)

[Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/)

> [I sensed that Confucius is an interesting character. This is someone who lived over 2,500 years ago and is still speaking to us. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-freedman/i-sensed-that-confucius-is-an-interesting-character-this-is-someone/)

[Russell Freedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-freedman/)

> [It's really interesting that whenever you do something that is so out of character, like having an emotional outburst, that you don't get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/it-s-really-interesting-that-whenever-you-do-something-that-is-so-out/)

[Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/)

> [ The two things that I thought were really interesting about this character \[Bow\] for me were that she actually loved her husband, and he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/the-two-things-that-i-thought-were-really-interesting-about-this/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

> [I think in English history a very interesting character is John Lilburne. Very interesting character because of the way he managed to develop the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-think-in-english-history-a-very-interesting-character-is-john/)

[Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/)

> [I'm always looking for a low-budget script with an interesting character to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-koenig/i-m-always-looking-for-a-low-budget-script-with-an-interesting/)

Walter Koenig

> [Shamshera' is a dream project and I feel blessed to have an opportunity to be a part of it and portray such a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaani-kapoor/shamshera-is-a-dream-project-and-i-feel-blessed-to-have-an/)

[Vaani Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaani-kapoor/)

> [The most interesting character to me is someone who is stuck in the no man's land between Belief and Unbelief, Faith and Faithlessness. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dooling/the-most-interesting-character-to-me-is-someone-who-is-stuck-in-the/)

[Richard Dooling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dooling/)

## More by Tom Hiddleston

> [“My mum always taught me the value of knowing, recognizing and acknowledging when you had a good day. There are so many bad days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/my-mum-always-taught-me-the-value-of-knowing-recognizing-and/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [I definitely go through periods where I'm in a particular mood, or there's a consistent imaginative context that I feel I'm in, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-definitely-go-through-periods-where-i-m-in-a-particular-mood-or/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [We're all intrigued, in our civilized world that we live in, and curious about how we would get on, on an undiscovered island that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/we-re-all-intrigued-in-our-civilized-world-that-we-live-in-and/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [“To have compassion for a character is no different from having compassion for another human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/to-have-compassion-for-a-character-is-no-different-from-having/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [I think a healthy connection with the natural world actually makes us more human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-think-a-healthy-connection-with-the-natural-world-actually-makes-us/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [If you look at all of the villains in the course of human history, they've all believed, delusionally, in the virtue of their actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/if-you-look-at-all-of-the-villains-in-the-course-of-human-history/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [I don't want to be quoted as 'Tom Hiddleston, psychologist says...' But there is a psychological aspect to being an actor. We are particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-don-t-want-to-be-quoted-as-tom-hiddleston-psychologist-says-but/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [I gave myself permission to care, because there are a lot of people in this world who are afraid of caring, who are afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-gave-myself-permission-to-care-because-there-are-a-lot-of-people-in/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [The most interesting thing about being alive is that there is no black and white; there are many shades of gray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/the-most-interesting-thing-about-being-alive-is-that-there-is-no/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [ “Well, the thing that I suppose is closest to my heart is Shakespeare. I really am a nerd about Shakespeare, I love it \[laughs\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/well-the-thing-that-i-suppose-is-closest-to-my-heart-is-shakespeare-i/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [I would always play the baddie, incidentally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-would-always-play-the-baddie-incidentally/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [Make love, not war. Unless you’re Loki, in which case: do what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/make-love-not-war-unless-you-re-loki-in-which-case-do-what-you-want/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [Everybody is great and the chemistry is different with everyone. That is the joy of acting - you really don't know how it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/everybody-is-great-and-the-chemistry-is-different-with-everyone-that/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [Truth in drama is elusive. You never quite find it, but the search for it is compulsive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/truth-in-drama-is-elusive-you-never-quite-find-it-but-the-search-for/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

[Explore all 220 Tom Hiddleston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

## More Active quotes

> [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/)

[Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/)

> [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/)

[Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/)

> [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I eat healthy most of the time. Whole foods are the best for you when you are super active, so I get plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witney-carson/i-eat-healthy-most-of-the-time-whole-foods-are-the-best-for-you-when/)

[Witney Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witney-carson/)

> [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/)

[Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/)

> [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/)

[Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/)

> [I stayed in L.A. long enough to get on my feet, and then I moved back to New York. The reason I moved here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-stayed-in-l-a-long-enough-to-get-on-my-feet-and-then-i-moved-back/)

[Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/)

> [The answer to any challenge you are having has nothing to do with God's willingness to help. It has to do with your acceptance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/the-answer-to-any-challenge-you-are-having-has-nothing-to-do-with-god/)

[Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/)

> [Pete Townsend for me was a huge influence. Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/)

[Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/)

> [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/few-if-any-creatures-are-equally-active-all-night/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [You need to enjoy yourself and just get into the routine of keeping fit and enjoying being active. That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/)

[Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/)

Browse all 2,212 Active quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think that is so interesting. It is le Carré. There must be so much of him when he was younger. He's an interesting character. I don't want to say the word \"passive\" because there is something very active about the way he is passive, if that makes any sense: the nature of his watching and his listening is active. It is always so alive because he is, essentially, a spy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Hiddleston"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le-carr-there-must-be-so-much-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Active"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le-carr-there-must-be-so-much-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/tom-hiddleston-1633_active_i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le_2711209.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/tom-hiddleston-1633_active_i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le_2711209.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f57/tom-hiddleston-1633_active_i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le_2711209.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think that is so interesting. It is le Carré. There must be so much of him when he was younger. He's an…” — Tom Hiddleston",
                "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": "Tom Hiddleston",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think that is so interesting....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le-carr-there-must-be-so-much-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-think-that-is-so-interesting-it-is-le-carr-there-must-be-so-much-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
