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.

-Agatha Christie

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I'm Sure You Have

Agatha Christie

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.

Topic

Long

Mind

Harmony

More From Agatha Christie

The Detective's Highest Talent Lay In The Gentle Art Of Seeking Favours Under The Guise Of Conferring Them!

Art

Favors

Detectives

People Who Can Be Very Good Can Be Very Bad Too.

People

Very Good

You Cannot Give To People What They Are Incapable Of Receiving.

People

Giving

Receiving

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

Knitting

Blood

Sitting

You Cannot Mix Up Sentiment And Reason.

Reason

Sentiments

... The Belief In A Superstratum Of Human Beings ... Is The Most Evil Of All Beliefs. For When You Say, 'i Am Not As Other Men' -- You Have Lost The Two Most Valuable Qualities We Have Ever Tried To Attain: -- Humility And Brotherhood.

Humility

Men

Two

No Innocent Person Ever Has An Alibi.

Innocent Person

Innocent

Persons

Speech ... Is An Invention Of Man's To Prevent Him From Thinking.

Men

Thinking

Speech

There Are Some People Who Don't Conform To The Signals. An Ordinary Well-regulated Locomotive Slows Down Or Pulls Up When It Sees The Red Light Hoisted Against It. Perhaps I Was Born Color Blind. When I See The Red Signal -- I Can't Help Forging Ahead. And In The End, You Know, That Spells Disaster.

Light

Color

People

Never Do Anything Yourself That Others Can Do For You.

Memorable

Crime Novels

Literature

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

Life Itself Is An Unsolved Mystery", Said The Clergyman Gravely.

Mystery

Clergymen

Unsolved Mysteries

You Travel Life Has The Aspect Of A Dream. It Is Something Outside The Normal, Yet You Are In It. It Is Peopled With Characters You Have Never Seen Before And In All Probability Will Never See Again. It Brings Occasional Homesickness, And Loneliness, And Pangs Of Longing ... But You Are Like The Vikings Who Have Gone Into A World Of Adventure, And Home Is Not Home Until You Return.

Dream

Loneliness

Home

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.

Girl

Sex

Sorry

Who Are You? You Don't Belong To The Police?' 'i Am Better Than The Police,' Said Poirot. He Said It Without Conscious Arrogance. It Was, To Him, A Simple Statement Of Fact.

Simple

Police

Arrogance

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

There Hung About Her The Restrained Energy Of A Whiplash.

Energy

Whiplash

Hung

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

Men

Sheep

Helping

How Often Have I Not Heard A Perfectly Intelligent Female Says, In The Tone Of One Clinching An Argument, 'edgar Says -- ' And All The Time You Are Perfectly Aware That Edgar Is A Perfect Fool.

Intelligent

Perfect

Fool

Hate Doesn't Last. Love Does.

Hate

Doe

Lasts

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

Arise

Murderer

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

Everything That Has Existed, Lingers In The Eternity.

Literature

Eternity

Liking Is More Important Than Loving. It Lasts. I Want What Is Between Us To Last, Luke. I Don't Want Us Just To Love Each Other And Marry And Get Tired Of Each Other And Then Want To Marry Some One Else.

Tired

Reality

Important

What I Feel Is That If One Has Got To Have A Murder Actually Happening In One's House, One Might As Well Enjoy It, If You Know What I Mean.

Mean

House

Might

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

Any Medical Man Who Predicts Exactly When A Patient Will Die, Or Exactly How Long He Will Live, Is Bound To Make A Fool Of Himself. The Human Factor Is Always Incalculable. The Weak Have Often Unexpected Powers Of Resistance, The Strong Sometimes Succumb.

Strong

Men

Long

You Should Employ Your Little Grey Cells.

Cells

Littles

Should

He Laughs Best Who Laughs At The End.

Laughing

Ends

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

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.

You Don't Realize What Fine Fighting Material There Is In Age. ... You Show Me Any One Who's Lived To Over Seventy And You Show Me A Fighter - Some One Who's Got The Will To Live.

Fighting

Age

Fighter

An Archaeologist Is The Best Husband A Woman Can Have. The Older She Gets The More Interested He Is In Her.

Love

Funny

Birthday

Very Few Of Us Are What We Seem.

Literature

Seems

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

Running

Size

Wells

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

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

Noticing You

Coincidence

Ifs

People Should Be Interested In Books, Not Their Authors.

Book

People

Should

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

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

The Supernatural Is Only The Natural Of Which The Laws Are Not Yet Understood.

Law

Natural

Understood

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

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

I Did Not Deceive You, Mon Ami. At Most, I Permitted You To Deceive Yourself.

Deceiving

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

Time Is The Best Killer.

Killers

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

Doe

Different

Guise

There Speaks The Passion And The Rebellion That Go With Red Hair. My Second Wife Had Red Hair. She Was A Beautiful Woman, And She Loved Me. Strange, Is It Not? I Have Always Admired Red-haired Women. Your Hair Is Very Beautiful. There Are Other Things I Like About You. Your Spirit, Your Courage; The Fact That You Have A Mind Of Your Own. ~mr. Aristides

Beautiful

Passion

Hair

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

Jealousy, You Know, Is Usually Not An Affair Of Causes. It Is Much More-how Shall I Say?-fundamental Than That. Based On The Knowledge That One's Love Is Not Returned. And So One Goes On Waiting, Watching, Expecting...that The Loved One Will Turn To Someone Else.

Love Is

Waiting

Fundamentals

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

If Anyone Is Really Determined To Lend You A Book, You Never Can Get Out Of It!

Book

Determined

Ifs

The First Time You Do A Thing Is Always Exciting.

Firsts

First Time

Exciting

I Have A Certain Experience Of The Way People Tell Lies.

Lying

People

Way

Mr. Jesmond Made A Peculiar Noise Rather Like A Hen Who Has Decided To Lay An Egg And Then Thought Better Of It.

Eggs

Peculiar

Noise

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

Hands

Age

Detectives

Vous Eprouves Trop D'emotion, Hastings, It Affects Your Hands And Your Wits. Is That A Way To Fold A Coat? And Regard What You Have Done To My Pyjamas. If The Hairwash Breaks What Will Befall Them?' 'good Heavens, Poirot,' I Cried, 'this Is A Matter Of Life And Death. What Does It Matter What Happens To Our Clothes?' 'you Have No Sense Of Proportion Hastings. We Cannot Catch A Train Earlier Than The Time That It Leaves, And To Ruin One's Clothes Will Not Be The Least Helpful In Preventing A Murder.

Hands

Clothes

Life And Death

For In The Long Run, Either Through A Lie, Or Through Truth, People Were Bound To Give Themselves Away.

Running

Lying

Long

Evil Is Not Any Superhuman, But It Is Human.

Evil

Superhuman

Humans

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

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

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

Cheer

Book

Murder

Three Months Seems To Me Quite A Reasonable Time To Complete A Book, If One Can Get Right Down To It.

Book

Writing

Months

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

Law

Lawyer

Knows

Many Friends Have Said To Me, 'i Never Know When You Write Your Books, Because I've Never Seen You Writing, Or Even Seen You Go Away To Write.' I Must Behave Rather As Dogs Do When They Retire With A Bone; They Depart In A Secretive Manner And You Do Not See Them Again For An Odd Half Hour. They Return Self-consciously With Mud On Their Noses. I Do Much The Same.

Dog

Book

Writing

I Have No Pity For Myself Either. So Let It Be Veronal. But I Wish Hercule Poirot Had Never Retired From Work And Come Here To Grow Vegetable Marrows.

Vegetables

Wish

Pity

Evil Is Not Something Superhuman, It's Something Less Than Human.

Evil

Literature

Superhuman

You Regard It As Impossible That A Sinner Should Be Struck Down By The Wrath Of God! I Do Not!

Wrath

Impossible

Should

The Science Of Tomorrow Is The Supernatural Of Today.

Today

Tomorrow

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

Beautiful

Ugly

Curious

It's Not A Man's Working Hours That Are Important--it's His Leisure Hours. That's The Mistake We All Make.

Mistake

Men

Important

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

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

Truth

Design

Woven

Things Go Entirely Differently From The Way You Planned Them.

Way

An Appreciative Listener Is Always Stimulating.

Appreciative

Listeners

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

You Want Beauty,' Said Hercules Poirot. 'beauty At Any Price. For Me, It Is Truth. I Want Always Truth.

Healing

Want

Said

"i Think You're Begging The Question," Said Haydock, "and I Can See Looming Ahead One Of Those Terrible Exercises In Probability Where Six Men Have White Hats And Six Men Have Black Hats And You Have To Work It Out By Mathematics How Likely It Is That The Hats Will Get Mixed Up And In What Proportion. If You Start Thinking About Things Like That, You Would Go Round The Bend. Let Me Assure You Of That!"

Math

Exercise

Men

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

New York

Writing

Cities

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

Mistake

Hearing

Wrong Time

One Knows So Little. When One Knows More It Is Too Late.

Too Late

Littles

Late

One Does See So Much Evil In A Village,' Murmured Miss Marple In An Explanatory Voice.

Voice

Evil

Missing

The Best Time To Plan A Book Is While You're Doing The Dishes.

Time

Book

Memorable

Instinct Is A Marvelous Thing. It Can Neither Be Explained Nor Ignored.

Ignored

Instinct

Marvelous

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

Love You

Literature

Pay

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

Despise

Things To Do

Courses

Unless You Are Good At Guessing, It Is Not Much Use Being A Detective.

Use

Guessing

Detectives

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

Real Evidence Is Usually Vague And Unsatisfactory. It Has To Be Examined---sifted. But Here The Whole Thing Is Cut And Dried. No, My Friend, This Evidence Has Been Very Cleverly Manufactured---so Cleverly That It Has Defeated Its Own Ends.

Real

Cutting

Defeated

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

A Man Doesn't Wasnt To Feel That A Woman Cares More For Him Than He Cares For Her. He Doesn't Want To Feel Owned, Body And Soul. It's That Damned Possessive Attitude. This Man Is Mine---he Belongs To Me! He Wants To Get Away --- To Get Free. He Wants To Own His Woman; He Doesn't Want Her To Own Him.(simon Boyle)

Attitude

Men

Soul

The Happy People Are Failures Because They Are On Such Good Terms With Themselves They Don't Give A Damn.

Winning

People

Giving

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

It Is The Quietest And Meekest People Who Are Often Capable Of The Most Sudden And Unexpected Violences For The Reason That When Their Control Does Snap, It Goes Entirely. (hercule Poirot)

People

Doe

Violence

Now I Am Old-fashioned. A Woman, I Consider, Should Be Womanly. I Have No Patience With The Modern Neurotic Girl Who Jazzes From Morning To Night, Smokes Like A Chimney, And Uses Language Which Would Make A Billingsgate Fishwoman Blush!

Girl

Morning

Night

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

Marriage Is An Extraordinary Thing - And I Doubt If Any Outsider - Even A Child Of The Marriage - Has The Right To Judge.

Children

Judging

Doubt

I, Myself, Was Always Recognized . . . As The “slow One” In The Family. It Was Quite True, And I Knew It And Accepted It. Writing And Spelling Were Always Terribly Difficult For Me. My Letters Were Without Originality. I Was . . . An Extraordinarily Bad Speller And Have Remained So Until This Day.

Writing

Letters

Originality

The Contemporary Historian Never Writes Such A True History As The Historian Of A Later Generation.

Writing

History

Generations

I Do Not Argue With Obstinate Men. I Act In Spite Of Them.

Men

Arguing

Spite

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

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

Horse

Wonderful

Knows

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

You Are The Patient One, Mademoiselle,' Said Poirot To Miss Debenham. She Shrugged Her Shoulders Slightly. 'what Else Can One Do?' You Are A Philosopher, Mademoiselle.' That Implies A Detached Attitude. I Think My Attitude Is More Selfish. I Have Learned To Save Myself Useless Emotion.

Attitude

Selfish

Thinking

Things Never Come When They Are Expected.

Expectations

Expected

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

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

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

There Is Evil Everywhere Under The Sun.

Evil

Sun

The Impossible Could Not Have Happened, Therefore The Impossible Must Be Possible In Spite Of Appearances.

Inspirational

Life

Impossible

... Nothing Is So Boring As Devotion.

Boring

Devotion

So Boring

With Thought, All Problems Can Be Resolved.

Problem

Tea! Bless Ordinary Everyday Afternoon Tea!

Tea

Everyday

Ordinary

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

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

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

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

Love

Pride

Doubt

You're Shocked, Mr. Burton, At Hearing What Our Gossiping Little Town Thinks. I Can Tell You This - They Always Think The Worst!

Thinking

Towns

Littles

No, My Friend, I Am Not Drunk. I Have Just Been To The Dentist, And Need Not Return For Another Six Months! Is It Not The Most Beautiful Thought? --poirot

Funny

Beautiful

Drunk

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

Long

Bored

Enough

The Simplest Explanation Is Always The Most Likely.

Explanation

Simplest

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

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

Bitterness

Turns

Eternal

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

Return

Nostalgia

Courses

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

Men

Thinking

Admiration

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

Book

Way

Exes

And, Of Course, Afterwards -- One Always Hears These Things Afterwards, So Much Better If One Heard Them Before -- We Found Out That Dozens Of Empty Brandy Bottles Were Taken Out Of The House Every Week!

Taken

House

Bottles

Talk And Tea Is His Specialty," Said Giles. "he Has About Five Cups Of Tea A Day. But He Works Splendidly When We Are Looking.

Tea

Cups

Said

The Bereaved Had Never Any Doubt About Their Dear Ones' Wishes And Those Wishes Usually Squared With Their Own Inclinations.

Dear Ones

Doubt

Wish

Nobody Knows What Another Person Is Thinking. They May Imagine They Do, But They Are Nearly Always Wrong.

Thinking

May

Imagine

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

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

Courage Is The Resolution To Face The Unforeseen.

Faces

Resolution

Unforeseen

As Life Goes On It Becomes Tiring To Keep Up The Character You Invented For Yourself, And So You Relapse Into Individuality And Become More Like Yourself Everyday.

Character

Individuality

Everyday

Everyone Likes Talking About Himself. - Hercule Poirot

Talking

Likes

Hercule Poirot

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

The Past Is The Father Of The Present.

Father

Past

We Are The Same People As We Were At Three, Six, Ten Or Twenty Years Old. More Noticeably So, Perhaps, At Six Or Seven, Because We Were Not Pretending So Much Then.

Years

People

Twenties

A Great Man Always Knows Better Than To Explain Unless An Explanation Is Demanded. To Rush Into Explanations And Excuses Is Always A Sign Of Weakness.

Men

Weakness

Excuse

Everybody Always Knows Something," Said Adam, "even If It's Something They Don't Know They Know.

Adam

Said

Knows

Difficulties Are Made To Be Overcome ~ Miss Felicity Lemon, Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Plymouth Express

Missing

Overcoming

Plymouth

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

Death

Science

Doctors

You've A Pretty Good Nerve," Said Ratchett. "will Twenty Thousand Dollars Tempt You?" It Will Not." If You're Holding Out For More, You Won't Get It. I Know What A Thing's Worth To Me." I, Also M. Ratchett." What's Wrong With My Proposition?" Poirot Rose. "if You Will Forgive Me For Being Personal - I Do Not Like Your Face, M. Ratchett," He Said.

Rose

Forgive Me

Forgiving

She Was A Lucky Woman Who Had Established A Happy Knack Of Writing What Quite A Lot Of People Wanted To Read.

Writing

People

Lucky

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

Thinking

Needs

Deals

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

Difficult

Preserves

I Can Think Of Nothing More Soul Destroying In Life Than To Persist In Trying To Do A Thing You Want Desperately To Do Well, And To Know That You Are At The Best Second Rate.

Happiness

Success

Thinking

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.

Character

Mean

Thinking

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

Interesting

Unimportant

I've A Theory That One Can Always Get Anything One Wants If One Will Pay The Price. And Do You Know What The Price Is, Nine Times Out Of Ten? Compromise.

Pay The Price

Want

Nine

Every Man Should Have Aunts. They Illustrate The Triumph Of Guess Work Over Logic.

Men

Aunt

Should Have

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

That Is Why Most Great Love Stories Are Tragedies.

Great Love

Tragedy

Stories

How Tedious Is Retirement! You Cannot Imagine To Yourself The Monotony With Which Day Comes After Day.

Retirement

Imagine

Monotony

I Just Woke Up Feeling Happy This Morning. You Know Those Days When Everything In The World Seems Right.

Morning

Feelings

World

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

Appeals

Tempted

There Are Questions That You Don't Ask Because You're Afraid Of The Answers To Them.

Answers

Asks

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

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

A Mother's Love For Her Child Is Like Nothing Else In The World. It Knows No Law, No Pity, It Dares All Things And Crushes Down Remorselessly All That Stands In Its Path.

Love

Birthday

Family

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

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

Thinking

Past

Alive

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

Sinister

One Never Quite Allows For The Moron In Our Midst.

Midst

Moron

Desperate Ills Need Desperate Remedies.

Needs

Desperate

Remedy

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

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

People

Trouble

The Lure Of The Past Came Up To Grab Me. To See A Dagger Slowly Appearing, With Its Gold Glint, Through The Sand Was Romantic. The Carefulness Of Lifting Pots And Objects From The Soil Filled Me With A Longing To Be An Archaeologist Myself.

Past

Gold

Daggers

I Am All That There Is Of The Most Real.

Real

Does The Real Thing Ever Have The Perfection Of A Stage Performance?

Real

Stage Performance

Perfection

Curious Things, Habits. People Themselves Never Knew They Had Them.

Ghouls

People

Literature

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

Appreciate

Age

Aging

More Children Suffer From Interference Than From Non-interference.

Children

Suffering

Interference

When The Fact Doesn't Meet The Theory Then Let Go The Theory.

Letting Go

Facts

Theory

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

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

Men

Mad

Knows

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

At The Small Table, Sitting Very Upright, Was One Of The Ugliest Old Ladies He Had Ever Seen. It Was An Ugliness Of Distinction - It Fascinated Rather Than Repelled.

Sitting

Tables

Distinction

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

Quiet People

Vengeance

Temper

Imagination Is A Good Servant, And A Bad Master.

Imagination

Masters

Servant

Sensationalism Dies Quickly, Fear Is Long-lived.

Long

Sensationalism

Dies

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

There Is Something About Conscious Tact That Is Very Irritating.

Conscious

Tact

Irritating

I've Got A Stomach Now As Well As A Behind. And I Mean - Well, You Can't Pull It In Both Ways, Can You? ... I've Made It A Rule To Pull In My Stomach And Let My Behind Look After Itself.

Mean

Way

Looks

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

Believe

Water

Pool

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

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

Loyalty

Believe

I Believe

The Whole Thing Was Like A Nine-month Ocean Voyage To Which You Never Got Acclimatized.

Ocean

Pregnancy

Voyages

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

... Evil Was, Perhaps, Necessarily Always More Impressive Than Good.

Evil

Impressive

Exactly! It Is Absurd - Improbable - It Cannot Be. So I Myself Have Said. And Yet, My Friend, There It Is! One Cannot Escape From The Facts.

Facts

Absurd

Said

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

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

Impossible

Arise

Conversation

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 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 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

And Yet," Said Poirot, "suppose An Accident-" "ah, No, My Friend-" "from Your Point Of View It Would Be Regrettable, I Agree. But Nevertheless Let Us Just For One Moment Suppose It. Then, Perhaps, All These Here Are Linked Together - By Death.

Views

Together

Would Be

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

Thinking

People

Fiction

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

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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