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In the end of Skyfall, M says that she did get one thing right. By my understanding she meant Bond.

But, what exactly did she mean in that dialog?

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She meant that she was right in trusting Bond to do the job, even if he failed the tests, and failed in the other choices.

M accepts her failure a little while before they get prepared for Silva to come.

M: I f**ked this up, didn't I?

James: No. You did your job.

She was right in one choice and James Bond proved her right. That's all she meant by that dialogue.

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    While the answer is spot on, I believe however that M is referring to Bond in a general sense - the one 'thing' that she got right is Bond himself, whom she know sees as the sum of the experience and skill that he has developed and the inherent trust that had already developed between them by the end of 'Casino Royale'
    – Stephen Francis
    Commented Dec 24, 2017 at 22:55
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I like the other answer, but it won't let me comment as I don't have high enough reputation, so I will leave this as an alternative. Certainly, she was right about Bond both specifically (failing tests) and generally, but she was right about one other thing too. She was right about what she said in his obituary "An exemplar of British fortitude." He doggedly continued to follow and fight right to the end, and that fortitude saved M directly. Further evidence for this interpretation is the gift of the porcelain British bulldog, which is also a symbol of British fortitude generally and specifically (survival of the explosion).

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  • That hardly seems like something she would highlight, as it seems to me Bond is known for being fortitudinous.
    – Joachim
    Commented Jan 31, 2022 at 21:42

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