Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes

Modern influential 137 sayings

Sayings by Arthur Conan Doyle

The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning.

1890 — From 'The Sign of Four'
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

It is a mistake to confound strangeness with mystery.

1887 — From 'A Study in Scarlet'
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money.

1890 — From 'The Sign of Four'
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The more outré and grotesque an incident is the more carefully it deserves to be examined.

1902 — From 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I have a lot of sympathy for criminals, but none for fools.

1892 — From 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle'
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The chief proof of man's real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness.

1890 — From 'The Sign of Four'
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

There is nothing more stimulating than a case where everything goes against you.

1902 — From 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The white man's burden is to civilize the savage races; it is a duty laid upon us by God.

1909 — Letter to the editor of The Daily Telegraph, responding to criticisms of British imperialism in the …
Controversial Unverifiable

There are some races which are inferior and some which are superior, and the superior races have a right to rule the inferior.

c. 1910 — Interview discussing the British Empire.
Controversial Unverifiable

The black man is a child, and must be treated as such.

c. 1900 — Discussion on colonial governance.
Controversial Unverifiable

I think the average woman is rather foolish.

1909 — Interview discussing women's suffrage.
Controversial Unverifiable

Women are emotional creatures, and therefore not fitted for politics.

c. 1910 — Opinion piece on women's role in society.
Controversial Unverifiable

Spiritualism is a true science, and those who deny it are ignorant.

1918 — Public lecture on spiritualism.
Controversial Unverifiable

The fairies are real, and I have seen them.

1922 — Book, 'The Coming of the Fairies'.
Controversial Unverifiable

There is no death, only a change of vibrations.

c. 1920 — Speech on spiritualism.
Controversial Unverifiable

The greatest enemy of truth is not the lie, but the myth.

c. 1920 — Essay.
Controversial Unverifiable

War is a necessary evil, and sometimes a cleansing fire.

c. 1918 — Reflections on World War I.
Controversial Unverifiable

The Germans are a brutal race, and must be crushed.

1914 — Wartime propaganda.
Controversial Unverifiable

I believe in the superiority of the Anglo-Saxon race.

c. 1900 — Private correspondence.
Controversial Unverifiable

The Irish are a difficult people, but they have their charm.

c. 1910 — Observations on Irish politics.
Controversial Unverifiable