The Moving Finger

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.

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.

In everybody's life there are hidden chapters which they hope may never be known.

Where do one's fears come from? Where do they shape themselves? Where do they hide before coming out into the open?

There are questions that you don't ask because you're afraid of the answers to them.

I never can stand seeing people pleased with themselves,” said Joanna. “It arouses all my worst instincts.

Yes, it was dangerous, but we are not put into this world, Mr. Burton, to avoid danger when an important fellow creature's life is at stake. You understand me?

If suicide is your idea of escape from trouble then it doesn't very much matter what the trouble is.

Only cats and witches walk in the dark.

From all I have heard, geniuses are people to be heartily disliked.

How strange that a girl could trouble your inmost soul so long as she kept her mouth shut, and that the moment she spoke the glamour could vanish as though it had never been.

... Good gracious, Jerry, you'll probably have to marry the girl.' Joanna was half serious, half laughing. It was at that moment that I made a very important discovery. 'Damn it all,' I said. 'I don't mind if I do. In fact - I should like it.' A very funny expression came over Joanna's face. She got up and said dryly, as she went toward the door, 'Yes, I've known that for some time...' She left me standing, glass in hand, aghast at my new discovery.

Murder is a nasty business on an empty stomach.

The trouble is, that this sort of things once it starts, grows.

Things never burn when you want them to, they got out. You'd probably have had to strike match after match.

It is a theory of mine," I said, warming to my theme, "that we owe most of our great inventions and most of the achievements of genius to idleness―either enforced or voluntary. 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.

... go down to the country, take a house, get interested in local politics, in local scandal, in village gossip. Take an inquisitive and violent interest in your neighbours.

The police, they're seemingly so frank, and they tell you nothing.

The great thing in these cases is to keep an absolutely open mind. Most crimes, you see, are so absurdly simple.

You mean you really want to marry me?" she asked with the air of one getting a thing perfectly clear. "More than anything in the world," I said - and I meant it. "You mean, you're in love with me?" "I'm in love with you." Her eyes were steady and grave. She said: "I think you're the nicest person in the world - but I'm not in love with you." "I'll make you love me." "That wouldn't do. I don't want to be made.

Only mothers can’t say they don’t want their children and just go away.

It's full of festering poison, this place, and it looks as peaceful and as innocent as the Garden of Eden." "Even there," said Owen drily, "there was one serpent.

I'm afraid I always find Shakespeare terribly dreary. All those long scenes where everybody is drunk and it's supposed to be funny.

And anyway, a man has no business to let himself be made a fool of by a woman. It’s his own look out if he does.

You may say that I had gone to ask Megan to marry me in an absurdly complacent frame of mind and that I deserved what I got - but it was not really like that. It was because I felt so assured, so certain, that Megan belonged to me - that she was my business, that to look after her and make her happy and keep her from harm was the only natural right way of life for me, that I had expected her to feel, too - that she and I belonged to each other. But I was not giving up. Oh, no! Megan was my woman and I was going to have her.

It was a cheap school, you know, and the teachers weren't very good. They could never answer questions properly." "Very few teachers can," I{Jerry}said. "Why not? They ought to." I agreed.

What's wrong with Shakespeare?" I{Jerry} inquired in interest. " Twisting himself up to say things in such a difficult way that you can't get at what he means. Still, I like some Shakespeare.