Michael Westen quotes from Burn Notice

Michael

[Voiceover] To the educated eye, a prison tat tells a story: where you did time, why you did time, and who you did it with. It's a little like a job resumé for criminals.

Michael

[Voiceover] There's no greater luxury in the field than working with a friend you rely on. When you find someone you can trust absolutely, you want them on every operation you do, and nothing hurts worse than losing a friend to bullets, politics or something personal. But when you have to work alone again, you lock those feelings away and do the job at hand, because as every spy knows, there's time to think about what you've lost after the mission is over.

Michael

[V.O.] When you work as a covert operative, there's no line between who you are and what you do. You are who you need to be for the operation. It makes you effective, it keeps things simple. But when you spend so much time living with someone else, sometimes the people you care about most begin to wonder who you really are.

Michael

[V.O.] When you realize that an operation is compromised, that your enemies are on the move, you're on the clock. You have to move as fast as you can to contain the damage and harden your defenses before it's too late. Sometimes you make it in time, and sometimes you don't. When you work in intelligence, the worst feeling in the world is knowing nothing. Being caught in something you don't begin to understand, because it's not the enemy you see that gets you. It's the one you don't.

Michael

[As cover ID Alex, to arguing thugs] Girls, girls, girls, don't fight; you're both pretty.

Michael

[V.O.] Work in intelligence long enough, you hang on to phone numbers. No matter who your enemy is there's a chance you'll need them tomorrow. Churchill and Stalin weren't chummy in 1941, but once the Nazis marched on Moscow they got past their differences.

Michael

Guys, guys! I have a loaded machine pistol in my hand and I have no idea what I'm doing!

Michael

[voice-over] First contact with the police is critical: it can mean the difference between the start of negotiations or the start of an armed assault.

Michael

[voice-over] Interrogating a hostile witness is like proposing marriage. You want to get it right the first try. So you don't settle until you find the perfect spot. You take special care to set the right ambiance and set the mood. And then you wait for the best moment to pop the question.

Michael

[voice-over] In the jungle, the first warning that a predator is approaching is silence. When violence is imminent, animals instinctively know that keeping quiet and still is their best shot at survival. Prison's a lot like the jungle. Silence is not a good sign. Averted eyes, stockpiled food, and guys wearing heavy coats on a warm day also indicate trouble's on the way.

Michael

[voice-over] Every environment has its rules and customs, and your survival often depends on knowing them. In Russia, you never refuse vodka, in Pakistan, you always clear your dinner plate, and in prison, you're careful about making eye contact. Too little eye contact, and you become a victim. Too much eye contact, and you become a threat. Either way, you're never more than a couple of blinks away from getting a shiv in your back.

Michael

[voice-over] Spies spend plenty of time with sociopaths and criminals, but sometimes it's even more dangerous to hang out with their victims. Letting your emotions get the best of you can threaten the entire operation.

Michael

[voice-over] One simple but effective trick for identifying a tail is known in the spy trade as running errands. You drive to different locations and stop, going about ordinary business in areas with open parking lots while your team follows, keeping track of the cars at each stop. It doesn't matter how good your tail is. At a certain point, they're going to pop up more than once.

Michael

[voice-over] National intelligence agencies and local law enforcement work together more often than you might think. Most metropolitan police stations have an office called a fusion center where classified intel is collected in one place. It's a great resource if you need information fast. Unfortunately, it does involve breaking into a police station.

Michael

[voice-over] A career in law enforcement tends to make for a cynical outlook on life. Where spies spend their careers telling lies, cops spend their careers listening to them.