At the small table, sitting very upright, was one of the ugliest old ladies he had ever seen. It was an ugliness of distinction - it fascinated rather than repelled.

An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her.

Ah, but life is like that! It does not permit you to arrange and order it as you will. It will not permit you to escape emotion, to live by the intellect and by reason! You cannot say, 'I will feel so much and no more.' Life, Mr. Welman, whatever else it is, is not reasonable. [Hercule Poirot]

Who is there who has not felt a sudden startled pang at reliving an old experience or feeling an old emotion?

Authors were shy, unsociable creatures, atoning for their lack of social aptitude by inventing their own companions and conversations.

Do you know my friend that each one of us is a dark mystery, a maze of conflicting passions and desire and aptitudes?

What I feel is that if one has got to have a murder actually happening in one's house, one might as well enjoy it, if you know what I mean.