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.

-Agatha Christie

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It's No Good Starting

Agatha Christie

Topic

Thinking

Skills

Ideas

More From Agatha Christie

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

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

Mistake

Hearing

Wrong Time

Poirot," I Said. "i Have Been Thinking." "an Admirable Exercise My Friend. Continue It.

Exercise

Thinking

Said

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

Writing

History

Generations

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

Taken

Facts

Fit

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

Sinister

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

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

People

Very Good

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

Ideas

Clothings

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

Too Late

Littles

Late

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

One Doesn't Recognize The Really Important Moments In One's Life Until It's Too Late.

Important

Too Late

Literature

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

Interesting

Unimportant

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

World

Clue

Happenings

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

Cheer

Book

Murder

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

Sensationalism Dies Quickly, Fear Is Long-lived.

Long

Sensationalism

Dies

Evil Never Goes Unpunished, Monsieur. But The Punishment Is Sometimes Secret.

Punishment

Evil

Secret

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

Mean

People

Doe

We Owe Most Of Our Great Inventions And Most Of The Achievements Of Genius To Idleness Either Enforced Or Voluntary.

Simple

Achievement

Great Inventions

To Every Problem, There Is A Most Simple Solution.

Simple

Simple Solutions

Problem

You Agree - I'm Sure You Agree That Beauty Is The Only Thing Worth Living For.

Self Esteem

Agree

Esteem

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

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

Honesty

People

Looks

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

I Was Thinking, That When My Time Comes, I Should Be Sorry If The Only Plea I Had To Offer Was That Of Justice. Because It Might Mean That Only Justice Would Be Meted Out To Me.

Sorry

Mean

Thinking

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

Difficult

Preserves

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

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

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

Trust

Money

Memorable

I Always Think Loyalty's Such A Tiresome Virtue.

Loyalty

Thinking

Virtue

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

Death

Science

Doctors

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

People

Trouble

Very Few Of Us Are What We Seem.

Literature

Seems

One Of Us In This Very Room Is In Fact The Murderer.

Facts

Rooms

Murderer

And If You Cast Down An Idol, There's Nothing Left.

Idols

Casts

Left

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

Imagination Is A Good Servant, And A Bad Master.

Imagination

Masters

Servant

If You Are To Be Hercule Poirot, You Must Think Of Everything.

Thinking

Hercule Poirot

Ifs

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

May

Weapons

Remember

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

Authors Were Shy, Unsociable Creatures, Atoning For Their Lack Of Social Aptitude By Inventing Their Own Companions And Conversations.

Writing

Shy

Aptitude

There Is Evil Everywhere Under The Sun.

Evil

Sun

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

Deceiving

An Appreciative Listener Is Always Stimulating.

Appreciative

Listeners

The Simplest Explanation Is Always The Most Likely.

Explanation

Simplest

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

Reading

Doubt

Stories

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

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

Adam

Said

Knows

Assumptions Are Dangerous Things.

Assumption

Dangerous

Dangerous Things

One Of The Luckiest Things That Can Happen To You In Life Is, I Think, To Have A Happy Childhood.

Life

Thinking

Childhood

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

Coffee In England Always Tastes Like A Chemistry Experiment.

Coffee

Taste

England

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

Doe

Different

Guise

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

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

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 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

More Children Suffer From Interference Than From Non-interference.

Children

Suffering

Interference

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

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

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

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

People

Giving

Receiving

One Place Is Very Like Another.

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

There Is No Question Of Defence. I Have Always Acted In Accordance With The Dictates Of My Conscience. I Have Nothing With Which To Reproach Myself.

Defence

Reproach

Conscience

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

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

Inspirational

Christian

Mother And Daughter

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

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

Ends

Glad

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

The Tragedy Of Life Is That People Do Not Change.

People

Tragedy

Life Is

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

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

Love You

Literature

Pay

But I Know Human Nature, My Friend, And I Tell You That, Suddenly Confronted With The Possibility Of Being Tried For Murder, The Most Innocent Person Will Lose His Head And Do The Most Absurd Things.

Innocent Person

Murder

Human Nature

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

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

A Lot Of Trouble Has Been Caused By Memoirs. Indiscreet Revelations, That Sort Of Thing. People Who Have Been Close As An Oyster All Their Lives Seem Positively To Relish Causing Trouble When They Themselves Shall Be Comfortably Dead.

Oysters

People

Trouble

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

Horse

Wonderful

Knows

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

Men

Mad

Knows

I Have Wanted . . . To Commit A Murder Myself. I Recognized This As The Desire Of The Artist To Express Himself! . . . But-incongruous As It May Seem To Some-i Was Restrained And Hampered By My Innate Sense Of Justice. The Innocent Must Not Suffer.

Artist

Justice

Suffering

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

Death Coming

Afraid Of Death

What They Need Is A Little Immorality In Their Lives. Then They Wouldn't Be So Busy Looking For It In Other People's.

People

Littles

Needs

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

Book

Way

Exes

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

Secret

Sin

Caps

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

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

I Continued To Do Arithmetic With My Father, Passing Proudly Through Fractions To Decimals. I Eventually Arrived At The Point Where So Many Cows Ate So Much Grass, And Tanks Filled With Water In So Many Hours. I Found It Quite Enthralling.

Education

Father

Math

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

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

Strong

Men

Weak Man

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

Everyone Likes Talking About Himself. - Hercule Poirot

Talking

Likes

Hercule Poirot

From An Early Age I Knew Very Strongly The Lust To Kill.

Lust

Age

Very Strong

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

Lying

People

Way

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

Despise

Things To Do

Courses

You Cannot Mix Up Sentiment And Reason.

Reason

Sentiments

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

New York

Writing

Cities

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

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

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

Inspirational

Life

Impossible

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

Running

Size

Wells

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

Impossible

Arise

Conversation

Oh, No, I'm Not Brave. When A Thing Is Certain, There's Nothing To Be Brave About. All You Can Do Is To Find Your Consolation.

Courage

Brave

Certain

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

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

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

Men

Arguing

Spite

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

Real

Stage Performance

Perfection

With Method And Logic One Can Accomplish Anything.

Logic

Method

Accomplish

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

Beautiful

Ugly

Curious

I Never Can Stand Seeing People Pleased With Themselves,” Said Joanna. “it Arouses All My Worst Instincts.

People

Instinct

Said

To Count - Really And Truly To Count - A Woman Must Have Goodness Or Brains.

Brain

Goodness

She Didn't Give George Any Too Easy A Time When She Was Alive. She Was One Of Those Semi-invalids – I Believe She Had Really Something Wrong With Her, But Whatever It Was She Played It For All It Was Worth. She Was Capricious, Exacting, Unreasonable. She Complained From Morning To Night. George Was Expected To Wait On Her, Hand And Foot And Everything He Did Was Always Wrong And He Got Cursed For It. Most Men, I'm Fully Convinced, Would Have Hit Her With A Hatchet Long Ago.

Morning

Believe

Men

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

I've Always Noticed That If You Speak The Truth In A Rather Silly Way Nobody Believes You.

Believe

Silly

Way

At My Time Of Life, One Knows That The Worst Is Usually True.

Worst

My Time

Knows

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

The Past Is The Father Of The Present.

Father

Past

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

Appreciate

Age

Aging

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

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

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

Long

Bored

Enough

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 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.

Desperate Ills Need Desperate Remedies.

Needs

Desperate

Remedy

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

People

Likes

Duty

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

Bitterness

Turns

Eternal

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

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

Skins

Married

Ifs

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

To Put It Quite Crudely ... The Poor Don't Really Know How The Rich Live, And The Rich Don't Know How The Poor Live, And To Find Out Is Really Enchanting To Both Of Them.

Rich

Poor

Enchanting

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

Art

Favors

Detectives

In The Midst Of Life, We Are In Death.

Life

Midst

... 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

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

Prisoners At The Bar, Have You Anything To Say In Your Defence?

Bars

Prisoner

Defence

Every Murderer Is Probably Somebody's Old Friend.

Funny Friend

Old Friends

Literature

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

Who Is There Who Has Not Felt A Sudden Startled Pang At Reliving An Old Experience Or Feeling An Old Emotion?

Feelings

Emotion

Felt

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

There Is No Fanatic Like A Religious Fanatic.

Religious

Religious Fanatics

Fanatics

It Is Deplorable...to Remove All The Romance - All The Mystery!

Romance

Mystery

Remove

Words Are Such Uncertain Things, They So Often Sound Well But Mean The Opposite Of What One Thinks They Do.

Mean

Thinking

Opposites

The Science Of Tomorrow Is The Supernatural Of Today.

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

Love

Pride

Doubt

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

What Good Is Money If It Can't Buy Happiness?

Wealth

Ifs

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

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

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

Law

Natural

Understood

Never Do Anything Yourself That Others Can Do For You.

Memorable

Crime Novels

Literature

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

He Laughs Best Who Laughs At The End.

Laughing

Ends

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

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

Time

Book

Memorable

Hate Doesn't Last. Love Does.

Hate

Doe

Lasts

One Is Alone When The Last One Who Remembers Is Gone.

Gone

Lasts

Remember

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

Brain

Eating

Should

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

Morning

Feelings

World

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

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

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

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

Noticing You

Coincidence

Ifs

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

Sound

Hercule Poirot

Remarks

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

Believe

Water

Pool

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

Love Is

Thinking

Young

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

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

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

Missing

Miss Marple

Realising

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

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

Knitting

Blood

Sitting

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

That Is Why Most Great Love Stories Are Tragedies.

Great Love

Tragedy

Stories

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

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

No Innocent Person Ever Has An Alibi.

Innocent Person

Innocent

Persons

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

Things Never Come When They Are Expected.

Expectations

Expected

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 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

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

Husband

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

Loyalty

Believe

I Believe

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

Truth

Design

Woven

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

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

Men

Thinking

Admiration

The Rottenness Comes From Within.

Trains Are Wonderful.... To Travel By Train Is To See Nature And Human Beings, Towns And Churches And Rivers, In Fact, To See Life.

Rivers

Church

Towns

The Trouble With You And Me, Is That We Don't Live In The Real World. We Dream Of Fantastic Things That May Never Happen.

Dream

Real

World

Sometimes I Feel Sure He Is As Mad As A Hatter And Then, Just As He Is At His Maddest, I Find There Is A Method In His Madness.

Mad

Sometimes

Method

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

Many Homicidal Lunatics Are Very Quiet, Unassuming People. Delightful Fellows.

People

Quiet

Fellows

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

Men

Curiosity

Would Be

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

Ignored

Instinct

Marvelous

Bad Temper Is Its Own Safety Valve. He Who Can Bark Does Not Bite.

Anger

Safety

Doe

When The Sea Goes Down, There Will Come From The Mainland Boats And Men. And They Will Find Ten Dead Bodies And An Unsolved Problem On Indian Island.

Men

Sea

Islands

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

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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