I Know Nothing About Pistols And Revolvers, Which Is Why I Usually Kill Off My Characters With A Blunt Instrument Or Better With Poisons. Besides, Poisons Are Neat And Clean And Really Exciting... I Do Not Think I Could Look A Really Ghastly Mangled Body In The Face. It Is The Means That I Am Interested In. I Do Not Usually Describe The End, Which Is Often A Corpse.

-Agatha Christie

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I Know Nothing About

Agatha Christie

Topic

Character

Mean

Thinking

More From Agatha Christie

The Things Young Women Read Nowadays And Profess To Enjoy Positively Frighten Me.

Young

Enjoy

Young Women

It's Like All Those Quiet People, When They Do Lose Their Tempers They Lose Them With A Vengeance.

Quiet People

Vengeance

Temper

Everybody Is Very Much Alike, Really. But Fortunately, Perhaps, They Don't Realise It. - Miss Marple

Missing

Miss Marple

Realising

You Can Only Really Get Under Anybody's Skin If You Are Married To Them.

Skins

Married

Ifs

I Learned ... That One Can Never Go Back, That One Should Not Ever Try To Go Back - That The Essence Of Life Is Going Forward. Life Is Really A One Way Street, Isn't It?

Essence

Trying

Way

Poirot Said Placidly, “one Does Not, You Know, Employ Merely The Muscles. I Do Not Need To Bend And Measure The Footprints And Pick Up The Cigarette Ends And Examine The Bent Blades Of Grass. It Is Enough For Me To Sit Back In My Chair And Think. It Is This – ” He Tapped His Egg-shaped Head – “this, That Functions!

Thinking

Eggs

Doe

That Is What I Mean. A Bath! The Receptacle Of Porcelain, One Turns The Taps And Fills It, One Gets In, One Gets Out And Ghoosh - Ghoosh - Ghoosh, The Water Goes Down The Waste Pipe!" "m. Poirot Are You Quite Mad?" "no, I Am Extremely Sane.

Mean

Mad

Water

One Never Quite Allows For The Moron In Our Midst.

Midst

Moron

Bottled, Was He?" Said Colonel Bantry, With An Englishman's Sympathy For Alcoholic Excess. "oh, Well, Can't Judge A Fellow By What He Does When He's Drunk? When I Was At Cambridge, I Remember I Put A Certain Utensil - Well - Well, Nevermind.

Sympathy

Drunk

Judging

An Appreciative Listener Is Always Stimulating.

Appreciative

Listeners

When A Man Is Really In Love He Can't Help Looking Like A Sheep.

Men

Sheep

Helping

Crime Is Terribly Revealing. Try And Vary Your Methods As You Will, Your Tastes, Your Habits, Your Attitude Of Mind, And Your Soul Is Revealed By Your Actions.

Attitude

Soul

Mind

Never Tell All You Know—not Even To The Person You Know Best.

Persons

Knows

You'll Be Glad Too, When The End Comes.

Ends

Glad

A Weak Man In A Corner Is More Dangerous Than A Strong Man.

Strong

Men

Weak Man

Is There Ever Any Particular Spot Where One Can Put One's Finger And Say, "it All Began That Day, At Such A Time And Such A Place, With Such An Incident?

Incidents

Spots

Fingers

Curious Things, Habits. People Themselves Never Knew They Had Them. [witness For The Prosecution, Also Published In The Hound Of Death And Other Stories.]

People

Stories

Habit

Time Is The Best Killer.

Killers

He Laughs Best Who Laughs At The End.

Laughing

Ends

Elephants Can Remember, But We Are Human Beings And Mercifully Human Beings Can Forget.

Elephants

Remember

Forget

You Know, Emily Was A Selfish Old Woman In Her Way. She Was Very Generous, But She Always Wanted A Return. She Never Let People Forget What She Had Done For Them - And, That Way She Missed Love.

Selfish

People

Done

When Engaged In Eating, The Brain Should Be The Servant Of The Stomach.

Brain

Eating

Should

Imagination Is A Good Servant, And A Bad Master.

Imagination

Masters

Servant

An Ugly Voice Repels Me Where An Ugly Face Would Not.

Voice

Ugly

Faces

Bitterness Leads Nowhere. It Turns Back On Itself. It Is The Eternal Cul-de-sac.

Bitterness

Turns

Eternal

One Place Is Very Like Another.

I Married An Archeologist Because The Older I Grow, The More He Appreciates Me.

Appreciate

Age

Aging

Of Course I Despise Money When I Haven't Got Any. It's The Only Dignified Thing To Do.

Despise

Things To Do

Courses

Everyone Likes Talking About Himself. - Hercule Poirot

Talking

Likes

Hercule Poirot

The Steamship Whose Machinery Is Broken May Be Brought Into Port And Made Fast To The Dock. She Is Safe, But Not Sound. Repairs May Last A Long Time. Christ Designs To Make Us Both Safe And Sound. Justification Gives The First - Safety; Sanctification Gives Us The Second - Soundness.

Safe And Sound

Long

Safety

What's Wrong With My Proposition?" Poirot Rose. "if You Will Forgive Me For Being Personal-i Do Not Like Your Face, M. Ratchett.

Rose

Forgive Me

Forgiving

Every Murderer Is Probably Somebody's Old Friend.

Funny Friend

Old Friends

Literature

If Only-if Only, Hastings, You Would Part Your Hair In The Middle Instead Of At The Side! What A Difference It Would Make To The Symmetry Of Your Appearance. And Your Moustache. If You Must Have A Moustache, Let It Be A Real Moustache-a Thing Of Beauty Such As Mine.

Real

Hair

Differences

God Bless My Soul, Woman, The More Personal You Are The Better! This Is A Story Of Human Beings - Not Dummies! Be Personal - Be Prejudiced - Be Catty - Be Anything You Please! Write The Thing Your Own Way. We Can Always Prune Out The Bits That Are Libellous Afterwards!

Writing

Soul

Stories

The Human Face Is, After All, Nothing More Nor Less Than A Mask.

Faces

Mask

Humans

Words, Mademoiselle, Are Only The Outer Clothing Of Ideas.

Ideas

Clothings

I Live Now On Borrowed Time, Waiting In The Anteroom For The Summons That Will Inevitably Come. And Then - I Go On To The Next Thing, Whatever It Is. One Doesn't, Luckily, Have To Bother About That.

Death

Waiting

Dying

Plots Come To Me At Such Odd Moments, When I Am Walking Along The Street, Or Examining A Hat Shop… Suddenly A Splendid Idea Comes Into My Head.

Ideas

Plot

Hats

A Great Many Men Are Mad, And No One Knows It. They Do Not Know It Themselves

Men

Mad

Knows

I Often Wonder Why The Whole World Is So Prone To Generalise. Generalisations Are Seldom If Ever True And Are Usually Utterly Inaccurate.

World

Wonder

Generalisation

It Is My Experience That No One, In The Course Of Conversation, Can Fail To Give Themselves Away Sooner Or Later. Everyone Has An Irresistible Urge To Talk About Themselves.

Giving

Failing

Conversation

I Have Always Been So Sure - Too Sure... But Now I Am Very Humble And I Say Like A Little Child: "i Do Not Know..."

Children

Humble

Littles

I Know There's A Proverb Which That Says 'to Err Is Human,' But A Human Error Is Nothing To What A Computer Can Do If It Tries.

Technology

Errors

Trying

Very Few Of Us Are What We Seem.

Literature

Seems

There Are Many Things That Are Unbelievable. Especially Before Breakfast, Is It Not? That Is What One Of Your Classics Says. Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

Impossible Things

Breakfast

Six

To Rush Into Explanations Is Always A Sign Of Weakness.

Weakness

Excuse

Explanation

The Truth, However Ugly In Itself, Is Always Curious And Beautiful To Seekers After It.

Beautiful

Ugly

Curious

The Human Mind Prefers To Be Spoon-fed With The Thoughts Of Others, But Deprived Of Such Nourishment It Will, Reluctantly, Begin To Think For Itself - And Such Thinking, Remember, Is Original Thinking And May Have Valuable Results.

Thinking

Mind

May

Good Advice Is Always Certain To Be Ignored, But That's No Reason Not To Give It.

Inspirational

Christian

Mother And Daughter

It Is Odd How, When You Have A Secret Belief Of Your Own Which You Do Not Wish To Acknowledge, The Voicing Of It By Someone Else Will Rouse You To A Fury Of Denial.

Secret

Wish

Denial

I Believe, Messieurs, In Loyalty---to One's Friends And One's Family And One's Caste.

Loyalty

Believe

I Believe

There Is Nothing More Thrilling In This World, I Think, Than Having A Child That Is Yours, And Yet Is Mysteriously A Stranger.

Children

Reality

Thinking

When You Find That People Are Not Telling You The Truth---look Out!

Honesty

People

Looks

Dogs Are Wise. They Crawl Away Into A Quiet Corner And Lick Their Wounds And Do Not Rejoin The World Until They Are Whole Once More.

Wise

Wisdom

Dog

If I Were At Any Time To Set Out On A Career Of Deceit, It Would Be Of Miss Marple That I Should Be Afraid.

Careers

Missing

Deceit

Best Of An Island Is Once You Get There - You Can't Go Any Farther...you've Come To The End Of Things.

Islands

Ends

It Is Ridiculous To Set A Detective Story In New York City. New York City Is Itself A Detective Story.

New York

Writing

Cities

Too Much Mercy... Often Resulted In Further Crimes Which Were Fatal To Innocent Victims Who Need Not Have Been Victims If Justice Had Been Put First And Mercy Second.

Justice

Needs

Too Much

Money ... Is Always The Great Clue To What Is Happening In The World.

World

Clue

Happenings

Assumptions Are Dangerous Things.

Assumption

Dangerous

Dangerous Things

I Have Always Admired The Esquimaux (eskimos). One Fine Day A Delicious Meal Is Cooked For Dear Old Mother, And Then She Goes Walking Away Over The Ice, And Doesn't Come Back.

Mother

Walking Away

Ice

Many Years Ago, When I Was Once Saying Sadly To Max It Was A Pity I Couldn't Have Taken Up Archaeology When I Was A Girl, So As To Be More Knowledgeable On The Subject, He Said, 'don't You Realize That At This Moment You Know More About Prehistoric Pottery Than Any Woman In England?'

Girl

Taken

Years

I Can't Imagine Why Everybody Is Always So Keen For Authors To Talk About Writing. I Should Have Thought It Was An Author's Business To Write, Not Talk.

Writing

Should Have

Imagine

It's What's In *yourself* That Makes You Happy Or Unhappy.

Crime Novels

Unhappy

Make You Happy

The Saddest Thing In Life And The Hardest To Live Through, Is The Knowledge That There Is Someone You Love Very Much Whom You Cannot Save From Suffering.

Things In Life

Suffering

Someone You Love

Things Go Entirely Differently From The Way You Planned Them.

Way

I Think, Myself, That One's Memories Represent Those Moments Which, Insignificant As They May Seem, Nevertheless Represent The Inner Self And Oneself As Most Really Oneself.

Memories

Thinking

Self

Everything Must Be Taken Into Account. If The Fact Will Not Fit The Theory---let The Theory Go.

Taken

Facts

Fit

I Didn't Want To Work. It Was As Simple As That. I Distrusted Work, Disliked It. I Thought It Was A Very Bad Thing That The Human Race Had Unfortunately Invented For Itself.

Simple

Race

Want

Downstairs In The Lounge, By The Third Pillar From The Left, There Sits An Old Lady With A Sweet, Placid, Spinsterish Face And A Mind That Has Plumbed The Depths Of Human Iniquity And Taken It All As In The Day's Work....where Crime Is Concerned, She's The Goods.

Sweet

Taken

Mind

No Sign, So Far, Of Anything Sinister—but I Live In Hope.

Sinister

Writing Is A Great Comfort To People Like Me, Who Are Unsure Of Themselves And Have Trouble Expressing Themselves Properly.

Writing

People

Comfort

... There Are Many To Whom Money Has No Personal Appeal, But Who Can Be Tempted By The Power It Confers.

Appeals

Tempted

All I Needed Was A Steady Table And A Typewriter...a Marble-topped Bedroom Washstand Table Made A Good Place; The Dining-room Table Between Meals Was Also Suitable.

Writing

Typewriters

Dining

To All Those Who Lead Monotonous Lives In The Hope That They May Experience At Second Hand The Delights And Dangers Of Adventure. [author's Dedication]

Adventure

Dedication

Monotonous Life

But Surely For Everything You Love You Have To Pay Some Price.

Love You

Literature

Pay

Wonderful Things, Horses. Never Know What They Will Do, Or Won't Do.

Horse

Wonderful

Knows

If We Seek To Keep The Past Alive, We End, I Think, By Distorting It.

Thinking

Past

Alive

There Is No Fanatic Like A Religious Fanatic.

Religious

Religious Fanatics

Fanatics

The Tragedy Of Life Is That People Do Not Change.

People

Tragedy

Life Is

It Is Completely Unimportant. That Is Why It Is So Interesting.

Interesting

Unimportant

I Suppose Without Curiosity A Man Would Be A Tortoise. Very Comfortable Life, A Tortoise Has.

Men

Curiosity

Would Be

To Every Problem, There Is A Most Simple Solution.

Simple

Simple Solutions

Problem

I Always Think Loyalty's Such A Tiresome Virtue.

Loyalty

Thinking

Virtue

Hate Doesn't Last. Love Does.

Hate

Doe

Lasts

I Looked At Her. Sheila Was My Girl--the Girl I Wanted--and Wanted For Keeps. But It Wasn't Any Use Having Illusions About Her. Sheila Was A Liar And Probably Always Would Be A Liar. It Was Her Way Of Fighting For Survival--the Quick Easy Glib Denial. It Was A Child's Weapon--and She'd Probably Never Got Out Of Using It. If I Wanted Sheila, I Must Accept Her As She Was--be At Hand To Prop Up The Weak Places. We've All Got Our Weak Places. Mine Were Different From Sheila's, But They Were There.

Girl

Children

Liars

Everyone Is A Potential Murderer-in Everyone There Arises From Time To Time Thewish To Kill-though Not The Will To Kill.

Arise

Murderer

There's No Agony Like [getting Started]. You Sit In A Room, Biting Pencils, Looking At A Typewriter, Walking About, Or Casting Yourself Down On A Sofa, Feeling You Want To Cry Your Head Off.

Typewriters

Agony

Feelings

Where Do One's Fears Come From? Where Do They Shape Themselves? Where Do They Hide Before Coming Out Into The Open?

Shapes

Coming Out

It's No Good Starting Out By Thinking One Is A Heaven-born Genius- Some People Are, But Very Few. No, One Is A Tradesman - A Tradesman In A Good Honest Trade. You Must Learn The Technical Skills, And Then, Within That Trade, You Can Apply Your Own Creative Ideas, But You Must Submit Them To The Discipline Of Form.

Thinking

Skills

Ideas

Truth, However Bitter, Can Be Accepted, And Woven Into A Design For Living.

Truth

Design

Woven

To Care Passionately For Another Human Creature Brings Always More Sorrow Than Joy; But At The Same Time, Elinor, One Would Not Be Without Experience. Anyone Who Has Never Really Loved Has Never Really Lived.

Joy

Sorrow

Care

I'm Sorry, But I Do Hate This Differentiation Between The Sexes. The Modern Girl Has A Thoroughly Businesslike Attitude To Life! That Sort Of Thing. It's Not A Bit True! Some Girls Are Businesslike And Some Aren't. Some Men Are Sentimental And Muddle-headed, Others Are Clear-headed And Logical. There Are Just Different Types Of Brains.

Never Worry About What You Say To A Man. They're So Conceited That They Never Believe You Mean It If It's Unflattering.

Believe

Mean

Men

There Is Too Much Tendency To Attribute To God The Evils That Man Does Of His Own Free Will. I Must Concede You The Devil. God Doesn't Really Need To Punish Us, Miss Barton. We're So Busy Punishing Ourselves.

Men

Evil

Missing

It Is Curious - But You Cannot Make A Revolution Without Honest Men. ... Every Revolution Has Had Its Honest Men. They Are Soon Disposed Of Afterwards.

Men

Revolution

Honest

I'm Not Often Bored,' I Assured Her. "life's Not Long Enough For That.

Long

Bored

Enough

And So Could You Know It If You Would Only Use The Brains The Good God Has Given You. Sometimes I Really Am Tempted To Believe That By Inadvertence, He Passed You By.

Believe

Brain

Use

There's Too Much Tendency To Attribute To God The Evils That Man Does Of His Own Free Will.

Men

Umpires

Evil

I Am Not Mad. I Am Eccentric Perhaps--at Least Certain People Say So; But As Regards My Profession. I Am Very Much As One Says, 'all There.

People

Mad

Eccentric

With Method And Logic One Can Accomplish Anything.

Logic

Method

Accomplish

Tea! Bless Ordinary Everyday Afternoon Tea!

Tea

Everyday

Ordinary

Fiction Is Founded On Truth....unless Things Did Happen,people Couldn't Think Of Them.

Thinking

People

Fiction

I Really Cannot Understand The Point Of What You're Saying. Really,' Said Clotilde, Looking At Her. 'what A Very Extraordinary Person You Are. What Sort Of A Woman Are You? Why Are You Talking Like This? Who Are You?' Miss Marple Pulled Down The Mass Of Pink Wool That Encircled Her Head, A Pink Wool Scarf Of The Same Kind That She Had Once Worn In The West Indies. 'one Of My Names,' She Said, 'is Nemesis.' 'nemesis? And What Does That Mean?' 'i Think You Know,' Said Miss Marple. 'you Are A Very Well Educated Woman. Nemesis Is Long Delayed Sometimes, But It Comes In The End.

Mean

Thinking

West Indies

Hercule Poirot: I Am An Imbecile. I See Only Half Of The Picture. Miss Lemon: I Don't Even See That.

Missing

Half

Imbeciles

It's A Mystery To Me How Anyone Ever Gets Any Nourishment In This Place. They Must Eat Their Meals Standing Up By The Window So As To Be Sure Of Not Missing Anything.

Missing

Meals

Mystery

Men Don't Understand How Their Mannerisms Can Get On Women's Nerves So That You Feel You Just Have To Snap.

Men

Nerves

Feels

He Was Very Much A Man Of Moods, Possibly Owing To What Is Styled The Artistic Temperment. I Have Never Seen, Myself, Why The Possession Of Artistic Ability Should Be Supposed To Excuse A Man From A Decent Exercise Of Self-control.

Exercise

Men

Self

Where Large Sums Of Money Are Concerned, It Is Advisable To Trust Nobody.

Trust

Money

Memorable

More Children Suffer From Interference Than From Non-interference.

Children

Suffering

Interference

I Don't Know. I Don't Know At All. And That's What's Frightening The Life Out Of Me. To Have No Idea.

Ideas

Frightening

Knows

Ideas Are Like Everything Else. They've Got To Be Marketed.

Ideas

Women Observe Subconsciously A Thousand Little Details, Without Knowing They Are Doing So. Their Subconscious Mind Adds These Little Things Together - And They Call The Result Intuition.

Women

Knowing

Intuition

It Is Clear That The Books Owned The Shop Rather Than The Other Way About. Everywhere They Had Run Wild And Taken Possession Of Their Habitat, Breeding And Multiplying, And Clearly Lacking Any Strong Hand To Keep Them Down.

Running

Strong

Book

My Remarks Are, As Always, Apt, Sound, And To The Point. (hercule Poirot)

Sound

Hercule Poirot

Remarks

Once I Went Professionally To An Archaeological Expedition-and I Learnt Something There. In The Course Of An Excavation, When Something Comes Up Out Of The Ground, Everything Is Cleared Away Very Carefully All Around It. You Take Away The Loose Earth, And You Scrape Here And There With A Knife Until Finally Your Object Is There, All Alone, Ready To Be Drawn And Photographed With No Extraneous Matter Confusing It. That Is What I Have Been Seeking To Do-clear Away The Extraneous Matter So That We Can See The Truth-the Naked Shining Truth.

Knives

Shining

Confusing

I've Always Believed In Writing Without A Collaborator, Because Where Two People Are Writing The Same Book, Each Believes He Gets All The Worry And Only Half The Royalties.

Believe

Book

Memorable

Desperate Ills Need Desperate Remedies.

Needs

Desperate

Remedy

It Often Seems To Me That's All Detective Work Is, Wiping Out Your False Starts And Beginning Again." Yes, It Is Very True, That. And It Is Just What Some People Will Not Do. They Conceive A Certain Theory, And Everything Has To Fit Into That Theory. If One Little Fact Will Not Fit It, They Throw It Aside. But It Is Always The Facts That Will Not Fit In That Are Significant.

People

Wiping Out

Detective Work

All Women, Without In The Least Meaning It, Consider Every Man They Meet As A Possible Husband For Themselves Or For Their Best Friend.

Husband

Men

Every Man

Lie Is More Worth Living, More Full Of Interest When You Are Likely To Lose It. It Shouldn't Be, Perhaps, But It Is. When You're Young And Strong And Healthy, And Life Stretches Ahead Of You, Living Isn't Really Important At All. It's Young People Who Commit Suicide Easily, Out Of Despair From Love, Sometimes From Sheer Anxiety And Worry. But Old People Know How Valuable Life Is And How Interesting. - Jane Marple

Suicide

Strong

Lying

I Don't Think Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention. Invention, In My Opinion, Arises Directly From Idleness, Possibly Also From Laziness - To Save Oneself Trouble.

Mother

Memorable

Thinking

Juliet Singles Out Romeo. Desdemona Claims Othello. They Have No Doubts, The Young, No Fear, No Pride.

Love

Pride

Doubt

Time Does Not Dispose Of A Question - It Only Presents It Anew In A Different Guise.

Doe

Different

Guise

The Heart Of A Woman Who Loves Will Forgive Many Blows.

Heart

Blow

Forgiving

In My End Is My Beginning - That's What People Are Always Saying. But What Does It Mean?

Mean

People

Doe

Very Unfortunately, She Had No Husband. She Had Never Had A Husband, And Therefore Did Not Kill A Husband.

Husband

You Cannot Mix Up Sentiment And Reason.

Reason

Sentiments

The Amount Of Missing Girls I've Had To Trace And Their Family And Their Friends Always Say The Same Thing. 'she Was A Bright And Affectionate Disposition And Had No Men Friends'. That's Never True. It's Unnatural. Girls Ought To Have Men Friends. If Not, Then There's Something Wrong About Them.

Girl

Men

Missing

There Is Evil Everywhere Under The Sun.

Evil

Sun

I Don't Go In For Being Sorry For People. For One Thing It's Insulting. One Is Only Sorry For People When They're Sorry For Themselves. Self-pity Is One Of The Biggest Stumbling Blocks In The World Today.

Sorry

Block

Our World

Your Not Reliable. You Wouldn't Be At All A Comfortable Sort Of Person To Live With.

Persons

Comfortable

If You Ask Me, Nobody Really Likes People Who Are Always Doing Their Duty.

People

Likes

Duty

It's So Much Nicer To Be A Secret And Delightful Sin To Anybody Than To Be A Feather In His Cap.

Secret

Sin

Caps

The Out-of-date Returns In Due Course As The Picturesque.

Return

Nostalgia

Courses

It's Very Inconvenient To Be Loved. Nearly Everyone Has Found That Out, Sooner Or Later. The Fewer People Who Love You The Less You Will Have To Suffer.

Love You

People

Suffering

I'm Sure You Have A Theme: The Theme Of Your Life. You Can Embellish It Or Desecrate It, But It's Your Theme, And As Long As You Follow It, You Will Experience Harmony And Peace Of Mind.

Long

Mind

Harmony

You Have A Tendency, Hastings, To Prefer The Least Likely. That, No Doubt, Is From Reading Too Many Detective Stories.

Reading

Doubt

Stories

There Was A Moment When I Changed From An Amateur To A Professional. I Assumed The Burden Of A Profession, Which Is To Write Even When You Don't Want To, Don't Much Like What You're Writing, And Aren't Writing Particularly Well

Work

Writing

Commitment

Love Is Not Everything ... It Is Only When We Are Young That We Think It Is.

Love Is

Thinking

Young

Never Go Back To A Place Where You Have Been Happy. Until You Do It Remains Alive For You. If You Go Back It Will Be Destroyed.

Alive

Remains

Has Beens

Fey...a Scotch Word...it Means The Kind Of Exalted Happiness That Comes Before Disaster. You Know--it's Too Good To Be True.

Mean

Scotch

Fey

In Old Days The Public Didn't Really Mind Much About Accuracy, But Nowadays Readers Take It Upon Themselves To Write To Authors On Every Possible Occasion, Pointing Out Flaws.

Writing

Mind

Flaws

I Have Often Had Occasion To Notice How, Where A Direct Question Would Fail To Elicit A Response, A False Assumption Brings Instant Information In The Form Of A Contradiction.

Information

Assumption

Failing

It Is A Curious Thought, But It Is Only When You See People Looking Ridiculous That You Realize Just How Much You Love Them.

Love

Cute

Confused

Sitting Here With One's Knitting, One Just Sees The Facts. -"the Blood-stained Pavement

Knitting

Blood

Sitting

One Must Accept The Fact That We Have Only One Companion In This World, A Companion Who Accompanies Us From The Cradle To The Grave - Our Own Self. Get On Good Terms With That Companion - Learn To Live With Yourself.

Accompany Us

Self

World

Everybody Said, "follow Your Heart". I Did, It Got Broken

Heart

Broken

Rejection

There Is No Greater Mistake In Life Than Seeing Things Or Hearing Them At The Wrong Time.

Mistake

Hearing

Wrong Time

These Little Grey Cells. It Is Up To Them.

Cells

Literature

Littles

There Is Nothing So Dangerous For Anyone Who Has Something To Hide As Conversation!... A Human Being, Hastings, Cannot Resist Theopportunity To Reveal Himself And Express His Personality Which Conversation Gives Him. Every Time He Will Give Himself Away.

Women

Giving

Personality

Doctors Can Do Almost Anything Nowadays, Can't They, Unless They Kill You While They're Trying To Cure You.

Death

Science

Doctors

But No Artist, I Now Realize, Can Be Satisfied With Art Alone. There Is A Natural Craving For Recognition Which Cannot Be Gain-said.

Art

Gains

Recognition

You Gave Too Much Rein To Your Imagination. Imagination Is A Good Servant, And A Bad Master. The Simplest Explanation Is Always The Most Likely.

Imagination

Too Much

Elegance

As You Yourself Have Said, What Other Explanation Can There Be?' Poirot Stared Straight Ahead Of Him. 'that Is What I Ask Myself,' He Said. 'that Is What I Never Cease To Ask Myself.

Said

Explanation

Asks

It Is The Brain, The Little Gray Cells On Which One Must Rely. One Must Seek The Truth Within--not Without." ~ Poirot

Cells

Brain

Littles

If You Place Your Head In A Lion's Mouth, Then You Cannot Complain One Day If He Happens To Bite It Off.

Philosophy

One Day

Complaining

I Admit," I Said, "that A Second Murder In A Book Often Cheers Things Up." - Hastings

Cheer

Book

Murder

Lawyers Never Go To Law, Do They? They Know Better.

Law

Lawyer

Knows

I Have Enjoyed Greatly The Second Blooming That Comes When You Finish The Life Of The Emotions And Of Personal Relations; And Suddenly Find - At The Age Of Fifty, Say - That A Whole New Life Has Opened Before You, Filled With Things You Can Think About, Study, Or Read About...it Is As If A Fresh Sap Of Ideas And Thoughts Was Rising In You.

Life

Retirement

Thinking

To Feel Admiration For A Man All Through One's Married Life Would, I Think, Be Excessively Tedious.

Men

Thinking

Admiration

Everything Has Got Its Right Size. When It Is Its Right Size And Well Run It's The Tops.

Running

Size

Wells

I'm Going To Marry Him. And If He Thinks He Can Get Divorced And Married Every Two Or Three Years In The Approved Hollywood Fashion, Well, He Never Made A Bigger Mistake In His Life. He's Going To Marry And Stick To Me.

Fashion

Mistake

Divorce

One Must Make One's Own Mistakes

Mistake

One Is Left With The Horrible Feeling Now That War Settles Nothing; That To Win A War Is As Disastrous As To Lose One.

Peace

War

Winning

If You Love, You Will Suffer, And If You Do Not Love, You Do Not Know The Meaning Of A Christian Life.

Christian

Love You

Suffering

In Conversation, Points Arise! If A Human Being Converses Much, It Is Impossible For Him To Avoid The Truth! (hercule Poirot)

Impossible

Arise

Conversation

I Have Enjoyed Greatly The Second Blooming... Suddenly You Find - At The Age Of 50, Say - That A Whole New Life Has Opened Before You.

Turning 50

Inspirational Birthday

50th Birthday

Our Weapon Is Our Knowledge. But Remember, It May Be A Knowledge We May Not Know That We Possess.

May

Weapons

Remember

Books Are A Habit-forming Drug.

Book

Drug

Habit

The Rottenness Comes From Within.

If You've Had A Happy Childhood, Nobody Can Take That Away From You.

Childhood

Away From You

Happy Childhood

There's Nothing So Dangerous For Anyone Who Has Something To Hide As Conversation.

Conversation

Dangerous

The Urge To Write One's Autobiography, So I Have Been Told, Overtakes Everyone Sooner Or Later.

Writing

Autobiography

Sooner Or Later

Nothing, I Believe, Is So Full Of Life Under The Microscope As A Drop Of Water From A Stagnant Pool.

Believe

Water

Pool

I'm Afraid Of Death... Yes, But That Doesn't Stop Death Coming.

Death Coming

Afraid Of Death

I Always Take Abroad With Me One Really Good Soft Pillow--to Me It Makes All The Difference Between Comfort And Misery.

Differences

Comfort

Misery

That Was What, Ultimately, War Did To You. It Was Not The Physical Dangers--the Mines At Sea, The Bombs From The Air, The Crisp Ping Of A Rifle Bullet As You Drove Over A Desert Track. No, It Was The Spiritual Danger Of Learning How Much Easier Life Was If You Ceased To Think.

Spiritual

War

Thinking

There Is No Detective In England Equal To A Spinster Lady Of Uncertain Age With Plenty Of Time On Her Hands.

Hands

Age

Detectives

Do You Know My Friend That Each One Of Us Is A Dark Mystery, A Maze Of Conflicting Passions And Desire And Aptitudes?

Passion

Dark

Desire

Youth Is A Failing Only Too Easily Outgrown.

Youth

Failing

Everything That Has Existed, Lingers In The Eternity.

Literature

Eternity

In My Experience, People Who Go About Looking For Trouble Usually Find It.

People

Trouble

There Are More Important Things Than Finding The Murderer. And Justice Is A Fine Word, But It Is Sometimes Difficult To Say Exactly What One Means By It. In My Opinion, The Important Thing Is To Clear The Innocent. - Hercule Poirot

Mean

Justice

Important

Then There Are Some Minor Points That Strike Me As Suggestive - For Instance, The Position Of Mrs. Hubbard's Sponge Bag, The Name Of Mrs. Armstrong's Mother, The Detective Methods Of Mr. Hardman, The Suggestion Of Mr. Macqueen That Ratchett Himself Destroyed The Charred Note We Found, Princess Dragomiroff's Christian Name, And A Grease Spot On A Hungarian Passport.

Christian

Mother

Princess

To Keep Something Wild Is Far More Difficult Than To Preserve It.

Difficult

Preserves

The Point Is That One's Got An Instinct To Live. One Doesn't Live Because One's Reason Assents To Living. People Who, As We Say, 'would Be Better Dead' Don't Want To Die! People Who Apparently Have Everything To Live For Just Let Themselves Fade Out Of Life Because They Haven't Got The Energy To Fight.

Fighting

People

Would Be

I Like To Inquire Into Everything. Hercule Poirot Is A Good Dog. The Good Dog Follows The Scent, And If, Regrettably, There Is No Scent To Follow, He Noses Around - Seeking Always Something That Is Not Very Nice.

Dog

Nice

Noses

Intuition Is Like Reading A Word Without Having To Spell It Out. A Child Can't Do That Because It Has Had So Little Experience. A Grown-up Person Knows The Word Because They've Seen It Often Before.

Children

Reading

Intuition

Surfing Is Like That. You Are Either Vigorously Cursing Or Else You Are Idiotically Pleased With Yourself.

Sports

Surfing

Cursing

Poirot: Do Not Allow Hate Into Your Heart, For It Will Make A Home There. Jackie: If Love Cannot Live There, Hate Works Just As Well.

Hate

Home

Heart

You Should Employ Your Little Grey Cells.

Cells

Littles

Should

Ah, But Life Is Like That! It Does Not Permit You To Arrange And Order It As You Will. It Will Not Permit You To Escape Emotion, To Live By The Intellect And By Reason! You Cannot Say, 'i Will Feel So Much And No More.' Life, Mr. Welman, Whatever Else It Is, Is Not Reasonable. [hercule Poirot]

Order

Life Is Like

Doe

The Simplest Explanation Is Always The Most Likely.

Explanation

Simplest

I've Got An Uncle Myself. Nobody Should Be Held Responsible For Their Uncles. Nature's Little Throwbacks - That's How I Look At It.

Uncles

Aunt

Looks

It Had Come About Exactly In The Way Things Happened In Books.

Book

Way

Exes

Any Coincidencce Is Worth Noticing. You Can Throw It Away Later If It Is Only A Coincidence.

Noticing You

Coincidence

Ifs

Those Who Never Think Of Money Need A Great Deal Of It.

Thinking

Needs

Deals

Be Sure Thy Sin Will Find Thee Out.

Sin

Thee

Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.

2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.

2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.

2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.

3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.

3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.

3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.

4. Proper Usage of Quotes

4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.

4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.

4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.

5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.

5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.

6. Quotes in Different Contexts

6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.

6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.

7. Punctuation and Formatting

Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:

Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.

Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.

Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.

8. Ethical Considerations

Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes

Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.

Conclusion

Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.

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