David John Moore Cornwell, better known by his pen name John le Carré was a British author best known for his suspenseful and realistic spy novels. He developed a wide knowledge of the spy world which he gained from working for both the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). He used this knowledge to author elaborate and credible espionage novels that were grounded in reality. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works.
Cornwell was born on 19 October 1931 in Poole, Dorset, England. Educated abroad and at the University of Oxford, le Carré taught French and Latin at Eton College from 1956 to 1958. In 1959 he became a member of the British foreign service in West Germany and continued with the agency until 1964. He left the agency after the success of his third novel to become a full-time author. Most of le Carré’s books are spy stories set during the Cold War. Le Carré died from pneumonia at Royal Cornwall Hospital on 12 December 2020, at age 89.
1 A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world. -John le Carre
You cannot see the real world by sitting in the comfort of your home. To experience it, you need to get out of your house and face reality for what it truly is.
2 Writing is like walking in a deserted street, Out of the dust in the street you make a mud pie. -John le Carre
Writing is the most complicated process. You find inspiration in the most random places and you have to make do with what you have got and expand that little idea you have into a full fledged story.
3 Love is whatever you can still betray, Betrayal can only happen if you love. -John le Carre
You can betray only those whom you love. The first prerequisite for betrayal is that you have confidence and trust in them. Unless there is no love, there is no trust, without which you cannot feel betrayed.
4 If there is one eternal truth of politics, it is that there are always a dozen good reasons for doing nothing. -John le Carre
Politicians use promises to come to power. But once they are there, they find reasons to do nothing and just watch on as the people suffer under them.
5 The only reward for love is the experience of loving. -John le Carre
Love is a beautiful and precious experience. The mere experience of having someone to love is worth it and something to cherish.
6 We lie to one another every day, in the sweetest way, often unconsciously. -John le Carre
Lies are a huge part of our daily lives. We do not even realise it, but we lie very often. From the simple white lies to the big and severe ones, we lie very often.
7 The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal. -John le Carre
People show their true faces when they have a mask to hide behind. The more fake identities that a person has, the more honest they will be.
8 By repetition, each lie becomes an irreversible fact upon which other lies are constructed. -John le Carre
Lies have the tendency to be perceived as facts if repeated enough times. And upon these lies, new lies are constructed and the line between what is true and what is fictitious gradually starts blurring.
9 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. -John le Carre
Every war in the history of humanity has been fought for reasons much more complex and unknown to the public. The people are often kept in the dark and not told what the real reasons are.
10 Every writer wants to be believed, but every writer knows he is spurious, every fiction writer would rather be credible than authentic. -John le Carre
Writing is, in essence, just lying elaborately. Every writer knows this and they try their best to be credible and believable.
11 I think the greatest single enemy is the misuse of information, the perversion of truth in the hands of terribly skillful people. -John le Carre
It is misinformation and misrepresentation of the truth that has always caused conflicts throughout history. Lies have the power to destroy lives if used cleverly and that is what makes it so dangerous.
12 The cat sat on the mat is not a story, the cat sat on the other cat’s mat is a story. -John le Carre
An interesting story is one that has conflict to move the plot forward. An elaborate conflict between the characters is what makes a story worth a read.
13 My definition of a decent society is one that first of all takes care of its losers, and protects its weak. -John le Carre
A good society is one that not just celebrates its winners and achievers but also protects and comforts the weak. A society that is just and equal in treatment is one that can survive the test of times.
14 Let’s all pretend to be someone else, and then perhaps we’ll find out who we are. -John le Carre
Only when we see us from the eyes of someone else will we really understand our own selves. We often belittle ourselves, never really understanding who we are and what we are worth.
15 The fact that you can only do a little is no excuse for doing nothing. -John le Carre
It doesn’t matter how little you can do, what matters is you do whatever it is that you are capable of. Unless you make the most of what little abilities you have, you can never grow.
16 People are very secretive – secret even from themselves. -John le Carre
People are very private and secretive. Most of them tend to keep their thoughts and opinions to themselves and some so much so that they are a mystery to themselves.
16 Inspiring John le Carré Quotes To Live By!
1. A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world. -John le Carre
2. Writing is like walking in a deserted street, Out of the dust in the street you make a mud pie. -John le Carre
3. Love is whatever you can still betray, Betrayal can only happen if you love. -John le Carre
4. If there is one eternal truth of politics, it is that there are always a dozen good reasons for doing nothing. -John le Carre
5. The only reward for love is the experience of loving. -John le Carre
6. We lie to one another every day, in the sweetest way, often unconsciously. -John le Carre
7. The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal. -John le Carre
8. By repetition, each lie becomes an irreversible fact upon which other lies are constructed. -John le Carre
9. 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. -John le Carre
10. Every writer wants to be believed, but every writer knows he is spurious, every fiction writer would rather be credible than authentic. -John le Carre
11. I think the greatest single enemy is the misuse of information, the perversion of truth in the hands of terribly skillful people. -John le Carre
12. The cat sat on the mat is not a story, the cat sat on the other cat’s mat is a story. -John le Carre
13. My definition of a decent society is one that first of all takes care of its losers, and protects its weak. -John le Carre
14. Let’s all pretend to be someone else, and then perhaps we’ll find out who we are. -John le Carre
15. The fact that you can only do a little is no excuse for doing nothing. -John le Carre
16. People are very secretive – secret even from themselves. -John le Carre
