Tom Clancy Quotes

1947–2013 United States

Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. (12 April 1947 – 1 October 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War.

United States
Novelists

Also known as: Clancy, Tom

Random Tom Clancy quote

47 quotes

There's nothing that's ever happened in the world that didn't start in one human mind.

In Depth with Tom Clancy (2002)

I’ve made up stuff that’s turned out to be real, that’s the spooky part.

There's two kinds of people in the world, the ones who need to be told and the ones who figure it out all by themselves.

Without Remorse (1993)

The difference between reality and fiction? Fiction has to make sense.

to an interview on Larry King Live; also quoted in Quotable Quotes (1997)

Victory comes only to those prepared to make it, and take it.

Patriot Games (1987)

Wars are begun by frightened men. They fear war, but more than that, they fear what will happen if they don't start one — or take equivalent action, I suppose.

Red Rabbit (2002)

Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not.

Writers (1995)

The difference between me and you is that I do good fiction.

Life is about learning; when you stop learning, you die.

The Appraiser's Handbook: A Guide for Doctors (2007)

There's nothing more pornographic than glorifying war.

Interview promoting Every Man a Tiger (1999)

If you want to tell me I'm a bum, that's okay.

In Depth with Tom Clancy (2002)

The drafters of the Constitution had made one simple but far-reaching error. They'd assumed that the people selected by The People to manage the nation would be as honest and honorable as they'd been. One could almost hear the "Oops!" emanating from all those old graves.

The Bear and the Dragon (2000)

Things rarely happen for a single reason. Even the cleverest and most skilled manipulators recognize that their real art lies in making use of that which they cannot predict.

Debt of Honor (1994)

The odds against becoming the next Frederick Forsythe are, of course, somewhere between merely exponential and astronomical-incredible. I’ll settle for a book-jacket with my name on it.

What the government is good at is collecting taxes, taking away your freedoms and killing people. It's not good at much else.

Kudlow & Cramer interview (2003)

Man is a creature of hope and invention, both of which belie the idea that things cannot be changed.

Never ask what sort of computer a guy drives. If he's a Mac user, he'll tell you. If not, why embarrass him?

The control of information is something the elite always does, particularly in a despotic form of government. Information, knowledge, is power. If you can control information, you can control people.

That's the ultimate pornography... There's nothing more pornographic than glorifying war.

CNN interview (1999)

The military has always been a very introspective organization... One of the reasons why the army is so progressive is its always examining itself. The army is always looking for better ways to do its job.

In Depth with Tom Clancy (2002)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Tom Clancy (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.