Hercule Poirot: I am an imbecile. I see only half of the picture. Miss Lemon: I don't even see that.

He was very much a man of moods, possibly owing to what is styled the artistic temperment. I have never seen, myself, why the possession of artistic ability should be supposed to excuse a man from a decent exercise of self-control.

Never worry about what you say to a man. They're so conceited that they never believe you mean it if it's unflattering.

Who are you? You don't belong to the police?' 'I am better than the police,' said Poirot. He said it without conscious arrogance. It was, to him, a simple statement of fact.

What an absurdity to go and bury oneself in South America, where they are always having revolutions.

The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.

The whole thing was like a nine-month ocean voyage to which you never got acclimatized.