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
Most people like to read about intrigue and spies. I hope to provide a metaphor for the average reader's daily life. Most of us live in a slightly conspiratorial relationship with our employer and perhaps with our marriage.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the hidden complexities in everyday relationships and societal roles, comparing them to the intrigue of espionage.
John Le Carre highlights the notion that many individuals navigate their daily lives in a manner akin to espionage, suggesting an underlying tension or secrecy in relationships with employers and partners. The metaphor of intrigue serves to illustrate how the ordinary can mirror the extraordinary, revealing that even mundane interactions can be fraught with unspoken dynamics and complexities.
Themes
IntrigueRelationshipsEmployerMarriageMetaphor
In practice
Example use cases
In a conversation about workplace dynamics, one could use this quote to illustrate the underlying complexities in professional relationships.
More from John Le Carre
All quotes →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.
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The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other cat’s 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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