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
I have a theory which I suspect is rather immoral,' Smiley went on, more lightly. 'Each of us has only a quantum of compassion. That if we lavish our concern on every stray cat, we never get to the centre of things.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Compassion is a finite resource, and spreading it too thinly may prevent us from addressing more significant issues.
In this quote, John Le Carré suggests that while compassion is important, it can be limited. If we extend our concern to every minor issue or individual, we may fail to engage deeply with larger, more pressing matters. This perspective invites reflection on how we allocate our emotional energy and encourages prioritizing our focus to make a more substantial impact where it matters most.
Themes
CompassionPrioritiesConcernResourcesFocus
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on community service, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of prioritizing efforts.
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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