I always think loyalty's such a tiresome virtue.

Time is the best killer.

I was thinking, that when my time comes, I should be sorry if the only plea I had to offer was that of justice. Because it might mean that only justice would be meted out to me.

It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story.

It's very inconvenient to be loved. Nearly everyone has found that out, sooner or later. The fewer people who love you the less you will have to suffer.

The bereaved had never any doubt about their dear ones' wishes and those wishes usually squared with their own inclinations.

Curious things, habits. People themselves never knew they had them. [Witness for the Prosecution, also published in The Hound of Death and Other Stories.]