“One of us in this very room is in fact the murderer.”

“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.”

“When engaged in eating, the brain should be the servant of the stomach.”

“There is no detective in England equal to a spinster lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands.”

“A woman who doesn't lie is a woman without imagination and without sympathy.”

“The happy people are failures because they are on such good terms with themselves they don't give a damn.”

“It's what's in yourself that makes you happy or unhappy.”

“One little Indian left all alone, he went out and hanged himself and then there were none.”

“I always think loyalty's such a tiresome virtue. ”

“I always think loyalty's such a tiresome virtue. ”

“What good is money if it can't buy happiness?”

“It had come about ex­act­ly in the way things hap­pened in books.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“At my time of life, one knows that the worst is usually true.”

“Tea! Bless ordinary everyday afternoon tea!”

“Many homicidal lunatics are very quiet, unassuming people. Delightful fellows.”

“To all those who lead monotonous lives in the hope that they may experience at second hand the delights and dangers of adventure.

“Words are such uncertain things, they so often sound well but mean the opposite of what one thinks they do.”

“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?

“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.”

“To rush into explanations is always a sign of weakness.”

“I often wonder why the whole world is so prone to generalise. Generalisations are seldom if ever true and are usually utterly inaccurate.”