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 monsters of our childhood do not fade away, neither are they ever wholly monstrous.
Interpretation
Our childhood fears and issues persist into adulthood, often shaped by complex realities.
This quote suggests that the fears and challenges we faced in childhood do not simply vanish as we grow older; instead, they evolve and remain a part of us. Additionally, it implies that these 'monsters' may not always take on the form of pure evil, as they often embody complexities rooted in our experiences and perceptions, reminding us that our understanding of fear and danger can change over time.
In practice
Sharing this quote during a discussion about childhood memories and their impact on adult life.
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.
In 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.
The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other catβs mat is a story.
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.
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.
We've had enough." He took back the report and jammed it under his arm. "We've had a bellyful, in fact." "And like everyone who's had enough," said Control as Alleline noisily left the room, "he wants more.
The rhinoceros stood ... about five hundred yards away ... not a twentieth-century animal at all, but an odd, grim straggler from the Stone Age.
I am not very impressed with theological arguments whatever they may be used to support. Such arguments have often been found unsatisfactory in the past. In the time of Galileo it was argued that the texts, 'And the sun stood still... and hasted not to go down about a whole day' (Joshua x. 13) and 'He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not move at any time' (Psalm cv. 5) were an adequate refutation of the Copernican theory.
Remember that rights are moral principles which define and protect a man's freedom of action, but impose no obligations on other men.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
The glory of saving a country is not for him who has contributed to its ruin.
You discarded most of the lies along the way but held on to the one that said life mattered.
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