50 Best Sherlock Holmes Quotes From The World's Most Famous Detective
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Sherlock Holmes was a mysterious detective character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first created the series, 'Sherlock Holmes', in 1887. The first book of the series was first published on 14 October 1892.
Sherlock Holmes is undoubtedly one of the most favourite detective characters worldwide. He's one of the most powerful and enduring characters of English Literature.
Sherlock Holmes was popular for his keen observational skills and application of logic in solving cases. Sherlock Holmes had a vivid knowledge of the world and he did his work in a very detailed manner. He was a perfectionist character who dedicated his life to working and solving crimes.
'The Hound Of The Baskervilles' is the most famous story of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes as a character gained so much attention that later, films and television series were created based on the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
It is undoubtedly the best and most critiqued work of Arthur Conan Doyle. So, without any more delay, let us look into these Sherlock Holmes quotes.
One of the popular catchphrases of Holmes can be considered as 'The game is afoot,' though he said it only in the short story, 'The Abbey Grange'. He is also known to say 'Elementary' when he solves a mystery.
For more quotes, take a look at 'True Detective' quotes and Agatha Christie quotes.
Sherlock Holmes Quotes On Life
Sherlock Holmes is undoubtedly an inspirational character. Sherlock Holmes quotes on life are truly insightful.
1. "Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent."
- Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Case Of Identity'.
2. "It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles.'
3. "No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Study In Scarlet.'
4. "Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Red Circle'.
5. "A man always finds it hard to realize that he may have finally lost a woman's love, however badly he may have treated her."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Musgrave Ritual.'
6. "To a great mind, nothing is little."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Study In Scarlet.'
7. "The past and the present are within my field of inquiry."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles.'
8. "My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Red-Headed League'.
9. "But love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Sign Of Four'.
10. "Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Valley Of Fear'.
11. "I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Sign Of The Four'.
12. "To let the brain work without sufficient material is like racing an engine. It racks itself to pieces."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Devil’s Foot'.
Popular Sherlock Holmes Quotes Of All Times
Sherlock Holmes lives at all times. Here is some evergreen Sherlock Holmes quotes.
13. “Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell.
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Copper Beeches'.
14. "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts."
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Scandal In Bohemia'.
15. "Come at once if convenient–if inconvenient come all the same."
-Letter to Watson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Adventure Of The Creeping Man'.
16. "Crime is commonplace, existence is commonplace, and no qualities save those which are commonplace have any function upon earth."
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Sign of Four'.
17. "'To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.'
'The dog did nothing in the night-time.'
'That was the curious incident,' remarked Sherlock Holmes."
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Adventure Of Silver Blaze'.
18. "My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don't know."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Blue Carbuncle'.
19. "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Sign Of Four'.
20. "It is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all.”
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Man With The Twisted Lip'.
21. "'Excellent!' I cried.
'Elementary,' said he."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Crooked Man'
Sherlock Holmes Quotes On Mysteries
Sherlock Holmes is the king of solving mysteries. Here are some of the most popular Sherlock Holmes quotes.
22. "There is nothing more stimulating than a case where everything goes against you. "
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'Three Broken Threads'.
23."There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact."
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery'.
24. "No man lives or has ever lived who has brought the same amount of study and of natural talent to the detection of crime which I have done."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Study in Scarlet'.
25."It is a mistake to confound strangeness with mystery."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Study in Scarlet'.
Sherlock Holmes Quotes To Dr Watson
We all know about Dr. Watson, who was the right hand of Sherlock Holmes. Here are some quotes made to Watson, by Sherlock Holmes.
26. "You have a grand gift for silence, dear Watson. It makes you quite invaluable as a partner."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Man With The Twisted Lip'.
27. "I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Mazarin Stone'.
28. "You are not hurt Watson? For God's sake say that you're not hurt Watson!"
-Sherlock Holmes, 'The Three Garridebs'.
29. "Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sign Of Four'.
Inspiring Sherlock Holmes Quotes
It goes without saying that almost every reader is inspired by Sherlock Holmes' sheer intelligence. Listed down are some inspiring Sherlock Holmes quotes.
30. "When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has the nerve and he has the knowledge."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'The Speckled Band'.
31. "We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'A Case Of Identity'.
32. "The game is afoot."
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Abbey Grange'.
Sherlock Holmes Quotes on Himself
From the next set of quotes, we'll see what Sherlock Holmes has quoted on his character.
33. "My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. "
-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Sign of Four'.
34. " I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'The Sign Of Four'.
35. "I never guess. It is a shocking habit, destructive to the logical faculty."
-Sherlock Holmes, 'The Sign Of Four'.
36. “In my inmost heart I believed that I could succeed where others failed, and now I had the opportunity to test myself.”
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Musgrave Ritual'.
Sherlock Holmes Quotes From TV Series
The TV series 'Sherlock' by BBC gained a huge amount of popularity. Along with that, 'Elementary', another spin-off of Sherlock Holmes got very popular in the US. Here are some famous quotes from both series.
37. "Serial suicides, and now a note. Ah! It's Christmas."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
38. "We can't giggle. It's a crime scene. Stop it."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
39. "I'm not a psychopath, Anderson. I'm a high-functioning, sociopath. Do your research."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
40. "Y0ur own death is something that happens to everybody else. Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it. "
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
41. "Heroes don't exist and if they did, I wouldn't be one of them."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
42. "Sentiment is a chemical defect, found on the losing side."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
43. "People don’t really go to heaven when they die. They’re taken to a special room and burned."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
44. '‘I don’t have friends, I just have one.’'
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
45. "Dear God, what is there in your funny little brains? It must be really boring."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
46. "Consider every wretched hive of depravity and murder in this city, my place of business."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Elementary'.
47. "I don't guess. I observe and once I've observed, I deduce."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Elementary'.
48. “Oh, hell! What does that matter?! So we go around the sun!
If we went around the moon or round and round the garden like a teddy bear, it wouldn’t make any difference! All that matters to me is the work! Without that, my brain rots. Put that in your blog — or better still, stop inflicting your opinions on the world!”
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
49. "The name is Sherlock Holmes and the address is 221B Baker street."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Sherlock'.
50. "A good detective knows that every task, every interaction, no matter how seemingly banal, has the potential to contain multitudes."
- Sherlock Holmes, 'Elementary'.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Sherlock Holmes quotes then why not take a look at Robert Downey Jr quotes, or Steven Moffat quotes.
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Master of Arts specializing in Mass Communication/Media Studies
Srija ChandaMaster of Arts specializing in Mass Communication/Media Studies
An aspiring media professional, Srija is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Mass Communication at St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, after completing her degree in journalism. With experience in PR and social media, she has also honed her leadership skills through her participation in a youth parliament. Srija's interests include devouring books, watching movies, and exploring new places through travel.
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