"That which is clearly known hath less terror than that which is but hinted at and guessed."
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Arthur Conan Doyle quotes (page 13 of 22)
426 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Before turning to those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties, let the inquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems."
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"The man might have died in a fit; but then the jewels are missing," mused the Inspector, "Ha! I have a theory. These flashes come upon me at times... What do you think of this, Holmes? Sholto was, on his own confession, with his brother last night. The brother died in a fit, on which Sholto walked off the treasure! How's that?" "On which the dead man very considerately got up and locked the door on the inside," said Holmes."
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"No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so."
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"A study in scarlet, eh? Why shouldn't we use a little art jargon? There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."
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"It is hardly fair to blame America for the state of San Francisco, for its population is cosmopolitan and its seaport attracts the floating vice of the Pacific; but be the cause what it may, there is much room for spiritual betterment."
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"Life, my dear Watson, is infinitely stranger than fiction; stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We could not conceive the things that are merely commonplace to existence. If we could hover over this great city, remove the roofs, and peep in at the things going on, it would make all fiction, with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions flat, stale and unprofitable."
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"Brothers are a blessing for one thing. There is no possibility of any young lady getting unreasonably conceited if she be endowed with them."
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"Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel-piece, and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. With his long, white, nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle, and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist, all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. Finally, he thrust the sharp point home, pressed down the tiny piston, and sank back into the velvet-lined armchair with a long sigh of satisfaction."
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"It seems very strange ... that in the course of the world's history so obvious an improvement should never have been adopted. ... The next generation of Britishers would be the better for having had this extra hour of daylight in their childhood."
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"He is not a bad fellow, though an absolute imbecile in his profession. He has one positive virtue. He is as brave as a bulldog and as tenacious as a lobster if he gets his claws upon anyone."
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"Well, well, my dear fellow, be it so. We have shared this same room for some years, and it would be amusing if we ended by sharing the same cell. (...)"
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"Just see how it glints and sparkles. Of course it is a nucleus and focus of crime. Every good stone is. They are the devil"
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"…but it is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all."
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"The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning."
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"It is with nations as it is with individuals. A book of history is a book of sermons."
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"The Press, Watson, is a most valuable institution, if you only know how to use it."
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"There is danger for him who taketh the tiger cub, and danger also for whoso snatches a delusion from a woman."
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"Let me see. What are my other shortcomings?"
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"When people bury treasure nowadays they do it in the Post-Office bank."
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