Topical Tens: 25 August: Frederick Forsyth Quotes

Saturday 24 August 2019

Author Frederick Forsyth was born on this date in 1938. Some quotes from him on writing, flight, secrets and more.

The stubbornness of a weak man should never be underestimated. The weak tend to be very stubborn when they've decided on something.
The last of the lonely places is the sky, a trackless void where nothing lives or grows, and above it, space itself. Man may have been destined to walk upon ice or sand, or climb the mountains or take craft upon the sea. But surely he was never meant to fly? But he does, and finding out how to do it was his last great adventure.
On Foreign Secretary Robin Cook: If a man cannot keep a measly affair secret, what is he doing in charge of the Intelligence Service?
There is no collective guilt,...guilt is individual, like salvation.
To understand everything is to forgive everything.
A journalist should never join the Establishment, no matter how tempting the blandishments. It is our job to hold power to account, not join it.
It was not his job to ensure that his soldiers died for their country. It was his job to make sure the other poor bastards died for theirs.
There are several ways of making quick money but in the general list, writing a novel rates well below robbing a bank.
I'm slightly mercenary. I write for money.
The British have always coped without becoming a dictatorship.

My latest books