We lie to one another every day, in the sweetest way, often unconsciously. We dress ourselves and compose ourselves in order to present ourselves to one another.
John le CarreIt's easy to forget what intelligence consists of: luck and speculation. Here and there a windfall, here and there a scoop.
John le CarreCompleting a book, it's a little like having a baby.... There's a feeling of relief and satisfaction when you get to the end. A feeling that you have brought your family, your characters, home. Then a sort of post-natal depression and then, very quickly, the horizon of a new book. The consolation that next time I will do it better.
John le CarreA spy, like a writer, lives outside the mainstream population. He steals his experience through bribes and reconstructs it.
John le Carre