spy quotes

Too much importance isgiven thewriterand not enough to his work.What difference does it make who he is and what he feels, since he's merelya machine for transmission of ideas. In reality he doesn't existhe's a cipher, a blank. A spy sent into life by the forces of death. His main objective is to get the information across the border, back into death.

- Paul Frederick Bowles
  Letter to  James Leo Herlihy, 30  Apr.

For Love's sake, kiss me once again, I long, and should not beg in vain, Here's none to spy, or see; Why do you doubt, or stay? I'll taste as lightly as the Bee, That doth but touch his flower, and flies away. Once more, and (faith) I will be gone: Can he that loves, ask less than one?

- Ben Jonson
The Underwood,'A Celebration of Charis', no.7 (published1640).

The Spy who Came in from the Cold.

-John pseudonym of  David John Moore Cornwell Le Carre 
   Title of novel.

While I cannot take time off to name all the men in the State Department whohavebeennamedasmembers of the Communist Party and members of a spy ring, I have here in my hand a list of 205 that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party, and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department.

-Joseph R(aymond) McCarthy
  Speech at  Wheeling, West Virginia, 9 Feb, which marked the beginning of the McCarthy 'witch hunts' for communists.

All seems infected that th'infected spy, As all looks yellow to the jaundiced eye.

- Alexander Pope
An Essay on Criticism, l.558^9.

The primary duty of a serious biographer is to illuminate hissubject'slife work, nottoplay thespy inhisbedroom.

- (Theodore) Philip Toynbee
  Book review in the Observer,18 Mar.