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
The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other cat’s mat is a story.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the difference between simple observation and storytelling, emphasizing the complexity and significance of narrative.
In this quote, John Le Carre suggests that storytelling requires more than just basic facts; it demands complexity and layers of meaning. The difference between merely stating an event and creating a narrative lies in the richness of context and the relationships involved, which elevate a simple situation into a captivating story.
Themes
StorytellingNarrativeContextCreativityObservation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be introduced during a creative writing workshop to illustrate the importance of narrative depth.
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.
John Le CarreRead
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
We've had enough." He took back the report and jammed it under his arm. "We've had a bellyful, in fact." "And like everyone who's had enough," said Control as Alleline noisily left the room, "he wants more.
John Le CarreRead
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