“He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact attention to the detail of his profession.”
Ian Fleming
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.
“Doing all this, inspecting these minute burglaralarms, did not make him feel foolish or self-conscious. He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact attention to the detail of his profession. Routine precautions were to him no more unreasonable than they would be to a deep-sea diver or a test pilot, or to any man earning danger-money.”
Ian Fleming
“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“The wise man draws more advantage from his enemies, than the fool from his friends.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt Disputed“Tart words make no friends; a spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Any man more right than his neighbors, constitutes a majority of one already.”
— Henry David Thoreau Primary sourceThoroughness Attention to details