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
Totalitarian states killed with impunity and no one was held accountable. That didn't happen in the West.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the contrast between totalitarian regimes and Western democracies regarding accountability for human rights abuses.
John Le Carre's quote expresses the significant difference in how totalitarian states operate compared to Western democracies. In totalitarian regimes, the lack of accountability allows for rampant abuses of power and widespread oppression, while in the West, there are systems and mechanisms in place that aim to hold those in power accountable for their actions, thus providing a safeguard for human rights.
Themes
TotalitarianismAccountabilityHuman RightsJusticeDemocracy
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of democracy, one might say, 'As John Le Carre pointed out, totalitarian states operate without accountability, emphasizing why we must protect our freedoms.'
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.
John Le CarreRead
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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