How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Skyfall.
Quote #1
M: I'm not an idiot, Mallory. I know I can't do this job forever, but I'll be damned if I'm going to leave the department in worse shape than I found it.
M's national pride bleeds over into her job as protector of her nation. She knows she has done a wonderful job keeping her country secure for years, and she isn't going to let anyone take her down for one mistake.
Quote #2
MALLORY: M, you've had a great run. You should leave with dignity.
M: Oh, to hell with dignity. I'll leave when the job's done.
This line is heavier than M could ever have imagined. The "job" in this case is done when Silva is dead. And soon after Silva dies at the end of the movie, M also dies. It's not exactly the exit she was planning, but did she end up going out with dignity, after all?
Quote #3
M: Chairman, Ministers. Today I've repeatedly heard how irrelevant my department has become. Why do we need agents? The Double-O section? Isn't it all rather quaint? Well, I suppose I see a different world than you do. And the truth is that what I see frightens me. I'm frightened because our enemies are no longer known to us. They do not exist on a map. They're not nations. They are individuals. Look around you. Who do you fear? Can you see a face? A uniform? A flag? No. Our world is not more transparent now. It's more opaque. It's in the shadows. That's where we must do battle. So, before you declare us irrelevant, ask yourselves, how safe do you feel?
M feels confident that her department can keep the country safe. Unfortunately, Silva shows up a few minutes after this brave speech to pop her pride, and to pop a cap in her. How safe do you feel, indeed?