How Can We Learn from Raymond Reddington?

I discovered the show — The Blacklist a couple of weeks back and has been hooked ever since. Reminiscent of V for Vendetta, the wisdom of the protagonist (Raymond Reddington) leaves me gasping for more after each episode. Lately, I’ve also been a fan of letting the work speak for itself. So, here it goes, kudos to the scriptwriter:

“Let me put your mind at ease… I’m never telling you everything.”

“I Always Found Fear To Be My Most Valuable Sense.”

“For every rule, there is an exception.”

“It always starts with a favor.”

“Agent Keen, in this world, there are no sides — only players.”

You see that Geoff, that is what a good man does. That is what separates men like him from men like you…and me.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover. But you can by its first few chapters and certainly by its last.”

“Value loyalty above all else.”

“My word is my bond. My currency.”

“I can only lead you to the truth. I can’t make you believe it.”

“Wisdom is learning the boundaries of one’s designated lane.”

“As you well know one of the keys to my success is a clear and consistent understanding of my own limitations.

“I’m not a gumball machine, Lizzy. You don’t get to just twist the handle whenever you want a treat.”

“When you love someone, you have no control. That’s what love is. Being powerless.”

“Just out of curiousity, what number am I on your speed dial?”

“I’ve felt the consequences of your absence on my soul.”

“…on a sailboat, surrounded by sea with no land in sight, without even the possibility of sighting land for days to come? To stand at the helm of your destiny. I want that, one more time. I want to be in the Piazza del Campo in Siena. To feel the surge as 10 racehorses go thundering by. I want another meal in Paris, at L’Ambroisie, at the Place des Vosges. I want another bottle of wine. And then another. I want the warmth of a woman and a cool set of sheets. One more night of jazz at the Vanguard. I want to stand on the summits and smoke Cubans and feel the sun on my face for as long as I can. Walk on the Wall again. Climb the Tower. Ride the River. Stare at the Frescos. I want to sit in the garden and read one more good book. Most of all I want to sleep. I want to sleep like I slept when I was a boy. Give me that, just one time. That’s why I won’t allow that punk out there to get the best of me, let alone the last of me.”