Showing posts with label fanatic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fanatic. Show all posts

Friday, August 31, 2012

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - GEORGE SMILEY

"The fanatic is always concealing a secret doubt."
From the film "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".

The movie is excellent, and Gary Oldman is superb as George Smiley, a British secret service agent during the cold war.  I watched the movie twice to tie up the loose ends from the first time around, which included more than one than one distraction.  The film calls for close attention.  Although I'd read the book and watched the TV series of the same name years ago, I had mercifully forgotten who was the mole, so the suspense remained on the first view. 

When I heard Oldman speak the words above, they seemed very true to me, so I backed up to get the exact quote.   The words do not refer only to others but are cautionary for me to examine myself for drift into fanatic mode, and, should I find myself there, to look for the secret doubt. 

Picture from Wikipedia.