Chapter 20, “The Dross of the River” (p. 150)
“
I read a story once about a poet who bathed himself in cold fountains so that he could recognise his own existence in the contrast.
— John le Carré
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I read a story once about a poet who bathed himself in cold fountains so that he could recognise his own existence in the contrast." in the context of "Chapter 20, “The Dross of the River” (p. 150)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "John le Carré" (Quotes, A Murder of Quality (1962): Numerous editions. Page numbers here are from the hardcover edition published by Walker & Company in 2004, , first printing )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About John le Carré
John le Carré is the pen-name of David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020), who was a British writer of spy novels and a former spy himself.
About John le Carré
John le Carré is the pen-name of David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020), who was a British writer of spy novels and a former spy himself.
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