Doctor No Quotes

“All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards thier goal. The great scientists, the philosophers, the religious leaders - all maniacs. What else but a blind singlenee of purpose could have given focus to thier genius, would have kept them in the groove of purpose. Mania ... is as priceless as genius.”
― Ian Fleming, Doctor No

“Our prisons are full of people who think they're Napoleon..or God.”
― Ian Fleming, Doctor No

“Who is this man?'
'Chinaman, or rather half Chinese and half German. Got a daft name. Calls himself Doctor No - Doctor Julius No.'
'No? Spelt like Yes?'
'That's right.”
― Ian Fleming, Doctor No

“What's your name?"
"Bond. James Bond. What's yours?"
She reflected "Rider."
"What Rider?"
"Honeychile."
Bond smiled.”
― Ian Fleming, Doctor No

“If you fail at the large things it means you have not large ambitions. Concentration, focus - that is all. The aptitudes come, the tools forge themselves.”
― Ian Fleming, Doctor No

“All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards their goal. The great scientists, the artists, the philosophers, the religious leaders – all maniacs. What else but a blind singleness of purpose could have given focus to their genius, would have kept them in the groove of their purpose? Mania, my dear Mister Bond, is as priceless as genius. Dissipation of energy, fragmentation of vision, loss of momentum, the lack of follow-through – these are the vices of the herd.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“He says that courage is a capital sum reduced by expenditure.”
― Ian Fleming, Doctor No

“Mania, my dear Mister Bond, is as priceless as genius. Dissipation”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“The whole scene, the empty beach, the green and blue sea, the naked girl with the strands of fair hair, reminded Bond of something. He searched his mind. Yes, she was Botticelli’s Venus, seen from behind.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“The licence to kill for the Secret Service, the double-0 prefix, was a great honour. It had been earned hardly. It brought James Bond the only assignments he enjoyed—the dangerous ones.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“Of all of them, I’d choose the Walther PPK 7.65 mm. It only came fourth after the Japanese M-14, the Russian Tokarev and the Sauer M-38. But I like its light trigger pull and the extension spur of the magazine gives a grip that should suit 007. It’s a real stopping gun. Of course it’s about a .32 calibre as compared with the Beretta’s .25, but I wouldn’t recommend anything lighter. And you can get ammunition for the Walther anywhere in the world.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“The world is too public. These things can only be secured in privacy. You talk of kings and presidents. How much power do they possess? As much as their people will allow them. Who in the world has the power of life or death over his people? Now that Stalin is dead, can you name any man except myself? And how do I possess that power, that sovereignty? Through privacy. Through the fact that nobody knows. Through the fact that I have to account to no one.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“Bond ordered a double gin and tonic and one whole green lime. When the drink came he cut the lime in half, dropped the two squeezed halves into the long glass, almost filled the glass with ice cubes and then poured in the tonic. He took the drink out on to the balcony, and sat and looked out across the spectacular view. He thought how wonderful it was to be away from headquarters, and from London, and from hospitals, and to be here, at this moment, doing what he was doing and knowing, as all his senses told him, that he was on a good tough case again.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“They paddled easily, in unison, the paddles turning in their hands so that they did not leave the water on the forward stroke. The small waves slapped softly against the bows. Otherwise they made no noise. It was dark. Nobody saw them go. They just left the land and went off across the sea.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“Bond sat down on his rumpled bed and lost himself in drink and gloomy reflections.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“It was the mistakes one made at the beginning of a case that were the worst. They were the irretrievable ones, the ones that got you off on the wrong foot, that gave the enemy the first game.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“Now the pieces in the puzzle fell firmly into place. For this it was certainly worth scaring away a few birds and wiping out a few people. Privacy? Of course Doctor No would have to kill him and the girl. Power? This was it. Doctor No had really got himself into business.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“Clausewitz’s first principle was to have a secure base. From there one proceeds to freedom of action.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“The back two had fanned out a step to have a clear field of fire. Three revolvers, ungainly with their sausage-shaped silencers, whipped out of holsters concealed among the rags. With disciplined precision the three men aimed at different points down Strangways’s spine – one between the shoulders, one in the small of the back, one at the pelvis. The three heavy coughs were almost one. Strangways’s body was hurled forward as if it had been kicked. It lay absolutely still in the small puff of dust from the sidewalk.”
― Ian Fleming, Dr. No

“How do you know there aren't such things as dragons?... What do you think you know about animals and things? I've lived with snakes and things since I was a child. Alone. Have you ever seen a praying mantis eat her husband after they've made love? Have you ever seen the mongoose dance? Or an octopus dance? How long is a hummingbird's tongue? Have you ever had a pet snake that wore a bell round its neck and rang it to wake you? Have you seen a scorpion get sunstroke and kill itself with its own sting Have you seen the carpet of flowers under the sea at night? Do you know that a John Crow can smell a dead lizard a mile away?

Oh, you're just city folk like all the rest."
-Honeychile Rider”
― Ian Fleming, Doctor No