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
In my day, MI6 - which I called the Circus in the books - stank of wartime nostalgia. People were defined by secret cachet: one man did something absolutely extraordinary in Norway; another was the darling of the French Resistance. We didn't even show passes to go in and out of the building.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the allure and mystique of secretive service during wartime.
John Le Carre's quote evokes a sense of nostalgia for the era of espionage during and after the war, highlighting how individuals were defined by their extraordinary contributions to secretive operations. It suggests that the mystique of MI6, referred to as 'the Circus,' was deeply intertwined with the personal stories of bravery and intrigue, emphasizing a time when the very act of being part of such a secretive world carried an exceptional significance.
Themes
EspionageNostalgiaWarSecret ServiceMi6CourageHistory
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the romanticism of espionage in literature and history.
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 cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other cat’s mat is a story.
John Le CarreRead
The monsters of our childhood do not fade away, neither are they ever wholly monstrous.
John Le CarreRead
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
Similar quotes
That is someone who follows the teachings of the nonviolent Jesus and takes the gospel personally, and then pays the price. I fall into that category.
Martin SheenRead
Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. (quoting the Bhagavad-Gita after witnessing the first Nuclear explosion.)
J. Robert OppenheimerRead
The requirements for our evolution have changed. Survival is no longer sufficient. Our evolution now requires us to develop spiritually-to become emotionally aware and make responsible choices. It requires us to align ourselves with the values of the soul-harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for life.
Gary ZukavRead
After all, you put a lot into creating a universe and everything that goes with it, and it seems a shame to use it only once.
Terry BrooksRead
The self of which you speak, whether it is the great self or the small self, is only a concept that does not correspond to any reality.
Gautama BuddhaRead
There is object proof that homosexuality is more interesting than heterosexuality. It's that one knows a considerable number of heterosexuals who would wish to become homosexuals, whereas one knows very few homosexuals who would really like to become heterosexuals.
Michel FoucaultRead