69 Quotes by Len Deighton

The only thing a man has to know about women is that he’ll never know anything about them.

Communist,” he repeated. “You may have heard someone in a concentration admit to being a murderer and many agreed that they had been spies. A prisoner would sometimes even confess to having at one time – for a short while – been a Jew. But a communist, no. No one would ever let that word pass their lips.

You should never have told them,’ said Dicky, who could always be relied upon for excellent advice long after it was any use.

Life is worth nothing, life is worth nothing, It always starts with crying and with crying ends. And that’s why, in this world, life is worth nothing.

There’ll be no trouble, Angel,’ I said, giving him the sort of wide smile that I’d seen on carefree men with easy minds.

He had the wide toothy smile of the Oriental.

Trent’s a Balliol man, like me,’ said Dicky suddenly. ‘Are you boasting, confessing or complaining?’ I asked.

Don’t explain,’ I said. ‘Leave me something to be mystified about.

Berlin is a sort of history book of twentieth-century violence, and every street corner brought a recollection of something I’d heard, seen, or read. We followed the road alongside the Landwehr Canal, which twists and turns through the heart of the city. Its oily water holds many dark secrets.