When we think of a police detective within literature, we cannot help but remember the great Sherlock Holmes, a detective who defied all regulations of not only the police style, but also the social guidelines of the resurgent and industrialized England.
However, despite his challenging nature, there was no mystery that he could not solve, and the more difficult it was, the more enthusiasm this Arthur Conan Doyle character put into his work.
If you want to delve deeper into the mind of the Baker Street detective, read on; here you will find a selection of the best quotes from Sherlock Holmes which express the genius and intelligence of this literary character.
Sherlock Holmes is a saga of detective literature books written by Arthur Conan Doyle, developed in the midst of the industrialization of England and increasingly inventive crimes. Although he was the main character who came to life, to the point of being considered the best detective in history and which we will discover in this compilation of phrases and reflections from Sherlock Holmes.
12. There is a red criminal thread in the colorless skein of life, and our mission is to untangle it, isolate it and expose its most insignificant sinuosities.
A great way to explain how you saw your work and its importance.
13. A strange enigma is man.
No one fully understands or explains human behavior.
14. My mind rebels in stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstract cryptogram or the most complex analysis.
For someone who loves to use their deduction skills, monotony is a punishment.
15. Eliminate all other factors, and the one that remains must be the truth.
The truth is hidden to be found.
16. It is a capital error to theorize before having data.
Every theory should come from a truth.
17. You already know my method. It is based on the observation of minutiae.
Observe and learn before drawing any conclusions.
18. As a general rule, said Holmes, the more extravagant a thing is, the less mysterious it usually is.
Decorated things only seek to cause relevance that they do not possess.
19. Watson, let me think for a moment alone with my pipe and my Stradivarius.
A workaholic and passionate about the violin.
20. I never guess. This is a destructive habit that clashes with the professional’s logic.
For Holmes, guessing is the same as an insult to his intelligence.
21. What am I going to win, Watson? The art for the art.
Knowing and discovering is your greatest reward.
22. Before moving on to the moral and mental aspects of the subject that present the greatest difficulties, let the researcher begin by mastering more elementary problems.
Before knowing a criminal’s personal motive, you have to have all the pieces together.
23. We balance the possibilities and choose the most probable ones. It is the scientific use of imagination.
The correct way to collect and select relevant information.
24. Singularity is almost invariably a clue. The more characteristic and superficial a crime is, the more difficult it is to bring it home.
There are crimes that seem easy to solve but it is that simplicity that makes it difficult to solve.
25. The whole truth is better than indefinite doubt.
No matter how beautiful the lie looks, it will still be an illusion.
26. My mind is like a racing engine, breaking apart as it is not connected to the job it was built for.
An engine that cannot be turned off.
27. I have the habit of chaining my thoughts, so that by simply observing the facts, my mind reaches the final conclusion, without realizing the intermediate steps that my intelligence took.
A way of solving problems without knowing what exactly brought the beginning and the end together.
28. However, it is not so impossible for a man to possess all the knowledge that can be useful to him in his work, so I have endeavored in my case.
We can know everything about what we decide to do, but nothing else.
29. A fool takes all the wood of every kind that he finds, so that the knowledge that could be useful to him is filled with, or at best mixed with, many other things, so that he has a difficulty in put your hands on it.
Ignorant people let themselves be carried away by what is best for them.
30. I boast that I can distinguish the ash of any brand of tobacco.
One of his greatest passions and hobbies.
31. I wouldn’t say that I solved it brilliantly, the only thing I did was follow a reasoning analyzing all the clues.
For Sherlock, his ability was not something extraordinary, he just knew how to use it correctly.
32. No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.
Everything that is in our mind is something we must resolve.
33. The more strange and grotesque an incident is, the more carefully it deserves to be examined.
The cases you are most excited to solve.
34. Listen to what I said before John, I meant it. I do not have friends. I only have one.
Despite being a great character, he is not very sociable.
35. A fool always finds another fool who admires him.
A flattery that only seeks to obtain benefits.
36. Mediocrity knows nothing greater than itself; but talent instantly recognizes a genius.
Talent is the first step that tells us the direction we can take.
37. The day Sherlock Holmes specialized in criminology, the theater lost a magnificent actor and science, a sharp thinker.
A man who knows how to combine drama with science.
38. It is fortunate for this community that I am not a criminal.
Otherwise, he would be an unstoppable criminal.
39. No, no, the real name. It’s always awkward dealing with business under an alias.
Those who hide their identity have a dark past to bury.
40. Life is infinitely stranger than anything the mind of man would invent.
There is always something new that surprises us.
41. Elementary, dear Watson.
His most remembered phrase when communicating with his partner.
42. Work is the best antidote to pain, my dear Watson.
It not only serves as a distraction, but as personal improvement.
43. His ignorance was as notable as his knowledge.
Ignorant people always highlight their lack of knowledge.
44. Things must be done decently and in order.
Despite being a rebel from society, he has his strict way of seeking the truth.
45. Everything comes in a circle. The old wheel turns, and the same speech repeats itself. Everything has been done before, and it will be done again.
Things repeat themselves eventually.
46. ​​What is out of the ordinary is usually a guide rather than a hindrance.
Don’t underestimate things that don’t seem to make any sense.
47. Deep in my heart I believed that I could succeed where others failed, and now I had the opportunity to prove myself.
If you are sure to stand out in something you like, don’t hesitate to go for it.
48. I like to hear all the details, whether they seem relevant to you or not.
Every detail counts, because they are united in a thread, even if it is seen at first.
49. When one tries to rise above his nature, he runs the risk of falling far below.
Everything that rises has to fall and in a resounding way if you are not careful.
50. Out of my last 53 cases, 49 have been given credit to the police and the rest to me.
Although everyone knew who the real ‘hero’ was.
51. I hate the boring routine of existence.
Hating everyday life.
52. It is all very well to say that a man is intelligent, but the reader wants to see examples of it.
As the saying goes: ‘Caesar’s wife must not only be one but also look like one’.
53. My name is Sherlock Holmes. It’s my business to know what other people don’t know.
A business that led him to be the best detective of all time.
54. Come right away, if it is convenient, if it is inconvenient, come anyway.
You have to know how to read the environment.
55. My horror at his crimes was lost in my admiration for his skill.
There are certainly criminals who leave a great impression.
56. They say that genius has an infinite capacity to take appropriate measures. It is a very bad definition, but it does apply to detective work.
Many consider geniuses to be misunderstood people.
57. Observing and reasoning are two constants in my life that I cannot leave, dear Watson.
They even become part of your daily routine.
58. It is a mistake to confuse strangeness with mystery.
Mystery is a secret that must come to light, strangeness can be something that challenges society.
59. There is no branch of detective science so important and so neglected as the art of tracing steps.
Any mistake can change the course of the investigation.
60. Where there is no imagination, there is no horror.
Things are magnified when we use our imagination.
61. I consider that a man’s brain is originally like a small empty attic, and you have to stock it with the furniture of your choice.
An interesting way to analyze the mind, the truth is that it expands as we learn something new.
62. You say we go around the sun. If we went around the moon, it wouldn’t make a cent of difference to me or my work.
There are people who do not consider the change of year as something special.
63. Fear is the most infectious condition.
Fear is the worst impediment to growth.
64. Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.
All ignorant people believe that they have the knowledge of the world in their hand.
65. Every job has its own reward.
The greatest reward is to have happiness and be satisfied with what we have decided to do.
66. Adapt theories to facts instead of facts to theories.
You can have all the theories you want, but to bring them to reality, you need to have facts to back them up.
67. It is always difficult for a man to realize that he may have finally lost the love of a woman, no matter how badly he treated her.
There are those who are ‘comfortable’ acting in a bad way because they are sure there will be no consequences.
68. My highest reward is in the work itself, in the pleasure of finding field in which to exercise my special faculties.
That’s why it’s important to work on something you love and desire.
69. We cannot govern our hearts, but we can govern our actions.
Actions are the result of the decisions we make, that is why we should never act unexpectedly.
70. Our ideas must be as broad as nature if they aspire to interpret it.
All ideas are important, as long as they are nurtured.
71. I confess that I would not like a sister of mine to accept that job.
We tend to worry about the actions of others, even if we do the same.
72. Well, you can see more in the moonlight than in the fog.
Nothing is clear when we are dazed, so we must calm down.
73. Never trust general impressions, boy, focus on the details.
It is the details that make great things.
74. That man intrigues me, Watson; He knows how to hide his emotions very well.
Mysterious people end up attracting a lot of attention.
75. It is a capital error to theorize before having data. Insensibly, one begins to distort the facts to make them fit the theories instead of fitting the theories to the facts.
You should never assume something without first having all the evidence to confirm it.
76. The world is full of obvious things, which no one by chance ever observes.
The best hiding places are in plain sight, because we are only attentive to what is convenient for us.
77. On the contrary, Watson, he has everything in sight. But he is not able to reason from what he sees. You are too timid when it comes to making deductions.
Not all people are able to see or accept what they need.
78. Only one important thing has happened during the last three days, and that is that nothing has happened.
We always need a moment to do nothing and rest.
79. A client is for me a simple unit, a factor in the problem.
For Sherlock, all his clients are just an instrument to reach his goal.
80. I wanted to end the world, but I’m content with ending yours.
Not everyone is able to control the feeling of revenge that is born in them.
81. The world is full of obvious things, which no one by chance ever observes.
People see, but do not observe what is around them.
82. I fear that if the matter is beyond humanity, it is certainly beyond me.
An almost impossible challenge to solve, it is like candy for him as a detective.
83. For a great mind, nothing is small.
A mind is as infinite as one wants.
84. I confess that I have been blind as a mole, but it is better to learn late than never.
It’s not bad to feel down, you just don’t have to stay in that state for long.
85. I believe that there are certain crimes that cannot be touched by the law, and that therefore, to some extent, justify private revenge.
Do you agree with people taking justice into their own hands?
86. Anderson, don’t speak out loud. You lower the IQ of the entire block.
A subtle but very sharp way to emphasize the lack of intelligence.
87. Feeling is a chemical defect found on the losing side.
Not all people appreciate feelings.
88. There is no combination of events that a man’s intelligence is not capable of explaining.
Do you think that coincidences do not exist?
89. Loneliness is what I have, loneliness is what protects me.
Despite being a great detective, Sherlock is tied to loneliness.
90. All problems seem childish after they have been explained.
Many problems are easier than how they appear in our minds.
