“All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards their goal. The great scientists, the philosophers, the religious leaders—all maniacs. What else but a blind singleness of purpose could have given focus to their genius, would have kept them in the groove of their purpose? Mania, my dear Mister Bond, is as priceless as genius. Dissipation of energy, fragmentation of vision, loss of momentum, the lack of follow-through—these are the vices of the herd.”
Ian Fleming
The quote is by Dr. No, not James Bond, in the novel.
Dr. No (Primary source)
Dr. No is the sixth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, marking the first appearance of the eponymous villain and introducing the tropical exoticism that would become a hallmark of the franchise.
“When the odds are hopeless, when all seems to be lost, then is the time to be calm, to make a show of authority—at least of indifference.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“It’s never too early to start winning.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“Men follow their sentiments and their self-interest, but it pleases them to imagine that they follow reason. And so they look for, and always find, some theory which, a posteriori, makes their actions appear to be logical. If that theory could be demolished scientifically, the only result would be that another theory would be substituted for the first one, and for the same purpose.”
— Vilfredo Pareto Primary source“And people with obsessions, reflected Bond, were blind to danger.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“To be great is to be misunderstood.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Primary source