...also took for granted that secret services were the only real measure of a nations political health, the only real expression of its subconscious.

Give a man a car of his own and he leaves humility and common sense behind him in the garage.

In itself, the practice of deception is not particularly exacting; it is a matter of experience, of professional expertise, it is a facility most of us can acquire.

[My novels] introduce levels of intelligence ... moral doubt [and] self-doubt, which may not pertain [to real-world espionage].

He has the gift of quiet.

Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes.

Tyranny is like the electric wiring in an old house. A tyrant dies, the new tyrant takes possession, and all he has to do is drop the switch.