“Englishmen are so odd. They are like a nest of Chinese boxes. It takes a very long time to get to the centre of them. When one gets there the result is unrewarding, but the process is instructive and entertaining.”
Ian Fleming
The quote by Le Chiffre, not James Bond, in the novel.
Casino Royale (Primary source)
Casino Royale is the debut novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, introducing the British secret agent as he embarks on a high-stakes mission to bankrupt a Soviet operative.
“Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“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“Because people are very careful with the secrets of their own business doesn’t mean that they’ll be careful with the secrets of yours.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.”
— Ian Fleming Primary source“This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source“Thou wilt go now, rabbit. But I go with thee. As long as there is one of us there is both of us.”
— Ernest Hemingway Primary source“It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”
— Winston Churchill Primary source“You may delay, but time will not.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source