Welcome to our collection of insightful and thought-provoking quotes by Barry Eisler. An accomplished author and former CIA operative, Barry Eisler’s works delve into the realms of espionage, thriller, and suspense, captivating readers with his gripping narratives and complex characters. Throughout his literary journey, Eisler has demonstrated a keen understanding of human nature, political dynamics, and the intricacies of power, crafting tales that resonate with authenticity and intrigue.
With a background rooted in intelligence work, Eisler brings a unique perspective to his storytelling, infusing his narratives with a level of realism that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. His protagonists navigate treacherous landscapes, both physical and psychological, as they confront moral dilemmas, navigate political intrigue, and unravel conspiracies that threaten to shake the very foundations of their world. Through his writing, Eisler offers not only riveting entertainment but also incisive commentary on contemporary issues, challenging readers to question assumptions and explore the complexities of modern society.
Below, you’ll find a curated selection of Barry Eisler’s most compelling quotes, ready to inspire, provoke thought, or simply offer a glimpse into the mind of this master storyteller. Whether you’re seeking wisdom, motivation, or simply a memorable turn of phrase, these quotes are sure to captivate and resonate with you.
A heart beset by coronary disease will begin to recruit secondary arteries to carry oxygenated blood. Barry Eisler
When I think of a story, somehow it just always seems to come out involving spooks and spies and government skullduggery. Barry Eisler
Publishing for me is a business, not an ideology. Barry Eisler
Publishing, legacy or indie, is a vehicle, and you can’t opine about whether someone has chosen the right vehicle if you don’t know where she intends to drive it. Barry Eisler
What I care about is readers because without readers I can’t make a living… And I think it’s a bad thing for the world if people don’t read anymore. I want people to read a lot. Barry Eisler
Overall, one of the things that excites me most about self-publishing is that the highest-value use of my time in promoting the books will be found in writing more of them. Barry Eisler
I make a good living selling hardback books through paper publishers, and I have many friends in the industry who will suffer as it changes, so on a personal level, the transition to digital isn’t something I welcome wholeheartedly. Barry Eisler
There’s an awful lot of corruption in Japanese business and politics, corruption of the sort that can make for great setting for a spy story. Barry Eisler
I was with the CIA for only three years. I worked in the Directorate of Operations, which is now called the National Clandestine Service. It’s the part of the organization where the spies live. I didn’t have much experience beyond the training. Barry Eisler
Stephen King has inspired me with his humor and honesty, and his admonition that the author’s job is to tell the truth. Barry Eisler
The Internet is a limitless library at your fingertips. It’s a great place to start with the acquisition of knowledge. My process is to go to a place when I’m writing about it. Nothing captures the essence, feeling and flavor of a place better than when I’m actually there and doing the writing. Barry Eisler
I can understand the allure of a venerable Big Six imprint, of a shot at the New York Times list, of a publisher-sponsored book tour, of seeing your hardbacks in bookstores and your paperbacks in supermarkets. Barry Eisler
When I was in college, I became interested in various aspects of foreign policy and international relations. Even as a kid, I was interested in what I call, loosely speaking, forbidden knowledge. Barry Eisler
The difference between being a victim and a survivor is often a low level of situational awareness. You can’t be a super-spy, watchful and paranoid every day. But I am more watchful than the average American. Barry Eisler
The National Surveillance State doesn’t want anyone to be able to communicate without the authorities being able to monitor that communication. Barry Eisler
Good argument is intended to persuade another. Barry Eisler
If the reader cares, I don’t think it matters so much whether your hero is in fact an anti-hero. Barry Eisler
The job of the screenplay is to identify and extract the essence of the story from the novel and reconfigure it for the screen, maintaining its essence in a different vehicle. Barry Eisler
It would be awesome to be so impressive that we could sway people to our way of thinking just by declaiming our thoughts, but probably most of us lack such gravitas. Luckily, there’s something even better: evidence, logic, and argument. Barry Eisler
I’m not sure why I’m so drawn to heroes who do bad things and to villains who think they’re the good guys, but I do find that moral ambiguity and conflict makes for great characters. Barry Eisler
The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach would you find persuasive and want her to use? Whatever that is, do it yourself. Barry Eisler
Action fiction is driven more by what than by who. Put that ticking nuclear suitcase under Manhattan, and it’s relatively easy to create suspense. Literary fiction is driven more by who than by what. Barry Eisler
I love Japan, and Tokyo is my favorite city. Barry Eisler
I want to position my books as premium-priced versions on the reasonably-priced scale, if that makes sense, to find a sweet spot between the high-end of what my brand can support and the low end that results in impulse purchases and maximum sales volume. Barry Eisler
The strangest thing about the low quality of Internet argument is that effective argument isn’t really so difficult. Sure, not everyone can be Clarence Darrow, but anyone who wants to be at least competent at argument can do it. Barry Eisler
At the national level, I don’t know how to describe a threat to destroy Country A in order to punish Country B other than to call it state terrorism. Barry Eisler
The two most important things to do for self-defense are not to take a martial arts class or get a gun, but to think like the opposition and know where you’re most at risk. Barry Eisler
I’ve loved thrillers and spy stories since I was a kid. It’s probably not a bad rule of thumb to write the kinds of stories you love to read. Barry Eisler
The post office actually achieves its mission. I wish we could say the same of the CIA. Barry Eisler
Books are my art. The movie is someone else’s art. But it’s great marketing for books. Barry Eisler
I have a long-standing interest in what I like to think of as ‘forbidden knowledge:’ methods of unarmed killing, lock picking, breaking and entry, spy stuff, and other things that the government wants only a few select individuals to know. Barry Eisler
Anger, and the self-righteousness that is both the cause and consequence of anger, tends to be easier on the psyche than personal responsibility. Barry Eisler
I love Jet Li, but he looks very Chinese, and his English is Chinese-accented. He wouldn’t have been the right guy to play a Japanese-American. Barry Eisler
When I wrote my eighth thriller, ‘Inside Out,’ in 2009, the villains were a group of CIA and other government officials who colluded to destroy a series of tapes depicting Americans torturing war-on-terror prisoners. Barry Eisler
The fundamental difficulty that most novelists face when they are trying to adapt their own book into a screenplay is realizing that a screenplay is a completely different way of storytelling, and it has limitations. Barry Eisler
After I sold my screenplay adaptation of ‘Rain Fall’ to Sony Pictures, I had no more creative involvement. Barry Eisler
Psychologically, it’s always more pleasurable to blame others for our problems than it is to acknowledge our own responsibility. Barry Eisler
From the outside, the CIA seems pretty exotic, but from the inside, it’s a big, bureaucratic place. Think ‘post office with spies.’ Barry Eisler
I read pretty eclectically – fiction, non-fiction, and poetry – and I’ve been inspired and influenced by a number of writers. Barry Eisler
Paper publishers are doing everything they can to slow the transition to eBooks because, in a digital world, paper publishers’ high hardback margins essentially disappear. Barry Eisler
