Yes,' Spade growled. 'And when you're slapped you'll take it and like it.' He released Cairo's wrist and with a thick open hand struck the side of his face three times savagely.
Dashiell HammettMy way of learning is to heave a wild and unpredictable monkey-wrench into the machinery.
Dashiell HammettA lot of fancier yarns come from people trying to tell the truth. Itโs not easy once youโre out of the habit.
Dashiell HammettThe truth is you don't like the theater except the times when you're in a room by yourself putting the play on paper.
Dashiell HammettWhen a man's partner is killed he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. Then it happens we were in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed it's bad business to let the killer get away with it. It's bad all around-bad for that one organization, bad for every detective everywhere. Sam Spade
Dashiell Hammett