I grew up in a completely bookless household. It was my father's boast that he had never read a book from end to end.
John le CarreWhen it's going well [writing] goes terribly fast. It isn't at all surprising to write a chapter in a day, which for me is about twenty-two pages. When it's going badly, it isn't really going badly; it's just the beginning.
John le CarreIn 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.
John le Carre