Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (The Karla Trilogy, #1)

by John Le Carré

Karla is not fireproof, because he’s a fanatic. And one day, if I have anything to do with it, that lack of moderation will be his downfall.”

There are moments that are made up of too much stuff for them to be lived at the time they occur.

Smiley shrugged it all aside, distrustful as ever of the standard shapes of human motive. He settled instead for a picture of one of those wooden Russian dolls that open up, revealing one person inside the other, and another inside him. Of all men living, only Karla had seen the last little doll inside Bill Haydon.