I began writing when I was still in the British Foreign Service, and it was then understood that even if you wrote about butterfly collecting, you used another name.
John Le CarreRead
The Cold War was over long before it was officially declared dead.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Cold War ended in reality before the formal acknowledgment of its conclusion.
This quote suggests that the tensions and ideological conflict of the Cold War had already diminished well before it was officially recognized as over. It highlights the often slow pace of political recognition versus the actual state of affairs, indicating that change can precede acknowledgment in the world of international relations.
Themes
Cold WarHistoryPoliticsTensionChange
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a history class to discuss the dynamics of the Cold War and its implications on modern politics.
More from John Le Carre
All quotes βIn every war zone that I've been in, there has been a reality and then there has been the public perception of why the war was being fought. In every crisis, the issues have been far more complex than the public has been allowed to know.
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The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other catβs mat is a story.
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The monsters of our childhood do not fade away, neither are they ever wholly monstrous.
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Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.
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If I had to put a name to it, I would wish that all my books were entertainments. I think the first thing you've got to do is grab the reader by the ear, and make him sit down and listen. Make him laugh, make him feel. We all want to be entertained at a very high level.
John Le CarreRead
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