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
By the age of 9 or 10, I knew that I had to cut my own cloth and make my own way.
Interpretation
Emphasizes the importance of self-reliance and independence from a young age.
This quote highlights the realization of personal responsibility and the need to forge one's own path in life, demonstrating that from an early age, one can recognize the significance of independence and the necessity of self-determination. It suggests that understanding the value of crafting one's own destiny is essential to personal growth and success.
In practice
During a graduation speech about preparing for the future, one could quote this to inspire young adults to take charge of their lives.
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.
The monsters of our childhood do not fade away, neither are they ever wholly monstrous.
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.
I felt dull and flat and full of shattered visions.
I try to be available for life to happen to me. We're in this life, and if you're not available, the sort of ordinary time goes past and you didnβt live it. But if you're available, life gets huge. You're really living it.
How terribly sad it was that people are made in such a way that they get used to something as extraordinary as living.
I mourn my old life here. We barely scraped by, but I knew where I fit in, I knew what my place was in the tightly interwoven fabric that was our life. I wish I could go back to it because, in retrospect, it seems so secure compared to now, when I am so rich and famous and so hated by the authorities in the capitol.
Real life is a funny thing, you know. In real life saying the right thing at the right time is beyond crucial.
From breakfast, or noon at the latest, to dinner, I am mostly on horseback, Attending to My Farm or other concerns, which I find healthful to my body, mind, and affairs.
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