“Singularity is almost invariably a clue. The more featureless and commonplace a crime is, the more difficult it is to bring it home.”
—The Boscombe Valley Mystery
“What one man can invent another can discover.”
—The Adventure of the Dancing Men
“This writing is of extraordinary interest. These are much deeper waters than I had thought.”
—The Reigate Puzzle
“This is recent, quite recent. See how the brass shines where it is cut. An old scratch would be the same color as the surface. Look at it through my lens. There’s the varnish, too, like earth on each side of a furrow.”
—The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
“There is no branch of detective science which is so important and so much neglected as the art of tracing footsteps.”
—A Study in Scarlet
“Let us walk along the cliffs together and search for flint arrows. We are more likely to find them than clues to this problem. To let the brain work without sufficient material is like racing an engine. It racks itself to pieces. The sea air, sunshine, and patience—all else will come.”
—The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot
“Pipes are occasionally of extraordinary interest. Nothing has more individuality, save perhaps watches and bootlaces. The indications here, however, are neither very marked nor very important. The owner is obviously a muscular man, left-handed, with an excellent set of teeth, careless in his habits, and with no need to practice economy.”
—The Yellow Face
