Detectives Quotes

• The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.

  Arthur Conan Doyle

  Life, Obvious Things, World

  Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901).

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• Unless you are good at guessing, it is not much use being a detective.

  Agatha Christie

  Use, Guessing

  Agatha Christie (1974). “Murder on board: including The mystery of the Blue Train, What Mrs. McGillicuddy saw! [and] Death in the air”, Dodd Mead

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• You see, but you do not observe.

  Arthur Conan Doyle

  Curiosity, Statistics, Holmes

  "A Scandal in Bohemia" (1891)

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• The criminal is a creative artist; detectives are just critics.

  Hannu Rajaniemi

  Artist, Creative, Criminals

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• It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story.

  Agatha Christie

  New York, Writing, Cities

  "Biography/Personal Quotes". www.imdb.com.

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• I am not the law, but I represent justice so far as my feeble powers go.

  Arthur Conan Doyle

  Power, Law, Justice

  Arthur Conan Doyle (2011). “The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes”, p.97, House of Stratus

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• The criminal is the creative artist; the detective only the critic.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Artist, Creative, Criticism

  The Innocence of Father Brown "The Blue Cross" (1911)

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• What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.

  P. D. James

  Order, Restoration, Stories

  Quoted in Face, Dec. 1986

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• Detectives are only human; we're not Gods that know everything. When detectives tell their theory, in reality, most are rather anxious. Thinking that there's always possibility that they could have missed something, somewhere... But in return, the excitement you experience when your theory's smack bang correct is twice as great!

  Gosho Aoyama

  Reality, Thinking, Bangs

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• Every man at the bottom of his heart believes that he is a born detective.

  John Buchan

  Believe, Heart, Men

  John Buchan (2016). “SIR EDWARD LEITHEN Complete Collection – 6 Titles in One Premium Edition (Mystery & Thriller Series): The Power-House, John Macnab, The Dancing Floor, The Gap in the Curtain, Sick Heart River & Sing a Song of Sixpence”, p.17, e-artnow

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• Become a creative thinking detective! Ask probing questions. There is no such thing as a wasted question.

  Elaine Dundon

  Thinking, Design, Creative

  Elaine DUNDON (2002). “Seeds of Innovation: Cultivating the Synergy That Fosters New Ideas”, p.38, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn

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• There simply must be a corpse in a detective novel,
  and the deader the corpse the better.

  S. S. Van Dine

  Novel, Corpses, Detective Fiction

  S. S. Van Dine (2015). “Twenty Rules For Writing Detective Stories”, p.4, Booklassic

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• Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you get good at.

  Matthew McConaughey

  Long, Rust, Enough

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• The detective and his criminal wear versions of the same mask.

  Jane Roberts

  Evil, Criminals, Mask

  Jane Roberts (2011). “The Nature of Personal Reality (A Seth Book): Specific, Practical Techniques for Solving Everyday Problems and Enriching the Life You Know”, p.427, Amber-Allen Publishing

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• They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains," he remarked with a smile. "It's a very bad definition, but it does apply to detective work.

  Arthur Conan Doyle

  Pain, Doe, Detective Work

  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (2013). “Collected Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Delphi Classics)”, p.40, Delphi Classics

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• You're right on the money with that. We're all like detectives in life. There's something at the end of the trail that we're all looking for.

  David Lynch

  Ends, Trails, Walking

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• Where there's a will there's a detective story.

  Carolyn Wells

  Stories, Detective Stories

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• I think if you need to use a gun you're doing a lousy job as a detective.

  Joe Gores

  Jobs, Gun, Thinking

  Joe Gores (2009). “Spade & Archer: The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon”, p.13, Vintage

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• I know who I am. And after all these years, there's a victory in that.

  Matthew McConaughey

  Who I Am, Years, Victory

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• With the Great Detective, to think was to act, and to act was to think. Frequently he could do both together.

  Stephen Leacock

  Thinking, Together

  Stephen Leacock (2009). “Nonsense Novels: Easyread Super Large 20pt Edition”, p.6, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• When I was a kid, I wanted to be a spy detective or a rock star.

  Jill Sobule

  Stars, Kids, Rocks

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• the detective's highest talent lay in the gentle art of seeking favours under the guise of conferring them!

  Agatha Christie

  Art, Favors, Favour

  Agatha Christie (1951). “The Under Dog: And Other Stories”, New York, Dodd, Mead [1951

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• I think like a detective.

  Laurell K. Hamilton

  Thinking

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• Yes. I did more research than I ever wanted to and saw some things I wish I didn't. I went on ride-alongs, spent time with Homicide, Cold Case, and SVU detectives, hung out in subways learning how to spot pervs and pick-pockets, viewed an autopsy, went to a police firing range, and witnessed court cases and I read, read, read.

  Mariska Hargitay

  Police, Wish, Research

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• Well I think that the mind of a serial killer and the mind of the detectives represent the duality we face as people.

  Paul Guilfoyle

  Thinking, People, Mind

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