To read of a detective's daring finesse or ingenious stratagem is a rare joy.
The requisitions of the income tax have added greatly to the attractions of mercenary crime.
[A] pessimist gets nothing but pleasant surprises, an optimist nothing but unpleasant.
Being broke is not a disgrace, it is only a catastrophe.
One of the hardest things to believe is that anyone will abandon the effort to escape a charge of murder. It is extremely important to suspend disbelief on that. If you don't, the story is spoiled.
The trouble with an alarm clock is that what seems sensible when you set it seems absurd when it goes off