Agatha Christie: Doing

Agatha Christie was English mystery and detective writer. Explore interesting quotes on doing.
Agatha Christie: 640 quotes67 likes

“Once I went professionally to an archaeological expedition--and I learnt something there. In the course of an excavation, when something comes up out of the ground, everything is cleared away very carefully all around it. You take away the loose earth, and you scrape here and there with a knife until finally your object is there, all alone, ready to be drawn and photographed with no extraneous matter confusing it. That is what I have been seeking to do--clear away the extraneous matter so that we can see the truth--the naked shining truth.”

Agatha Christie book Death on the Nile

Hercule Poirot
Death on the Nile (1937)

“Oh dear, I never realized what a terrible lot of explaining one has to do in a murder!”

Agatha Christie

Spider's Web (1956)

“Is it coding — or code breaking? Is it like Deborah’s job? Do be careful, Tommy, people go queer doing that and can’t sleep and walk about all night groaning and repeating 978345286 or something like that and finally have nervous breakdowns and go into homes.”

Agatha Christie book N or M?

N or M? (1941)

“I have always been so sure — too sure… But now I am very humble and I say like a little child: "I do not know…"”

Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot
Curtain - Poirot's Last Case (1975)

“They are so busy knocking that they do not notice that the door is open!”

Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot’s Early Cases (1974)

““You do well. Method and order, they are everything,” replied Poirot.”

Agatha Christie book Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile (1937)

“John, forgive me… for what I can't help doing.”

Agatha Christie

Henrietta Savernake
The Hollow (1946)

“It’s not impossible my dear. It’s just a very remarkable coincidence — and remarkable coincidences do happen.”

Agatha Christie book Sleeping Murder

Sleeping Murder (1976)

“She shrugged her shoulders slightly.
“What can one do?”
“You are a philosopher, Mademoiselle.””

Agatha Christie book Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express (1934)

“I don't pretend to be an author or to know anything about writing. I'm doing this simply because Dr Reilly asked me to, and somehow when Dr Reilly asks you to do a thing you don't like to refuse.”

Agatha Christie book Murder in Mesopotamia

Amy Leatheran
Murder in Mesopotamia (1936)

“Yes, a private investigator like my Wilbraham Rice. The public have taken very strongly to Wilbraham Rice. He bites his nails and eats a lot of bananas. I don’t know why I made him bite his nails to start with — it’s really rather disgusting — but there it is. He started by biting his nails, and now he has to do it in every single book. So monotonous.”

Agatha Christie book Death in the Clouds

Death in the Clouds (1935)

“Yes. I like to see people get angry. I like it very much. But here in England they do not get angry like they do in Spain. In Spain they take out their knives and they curse and shout. In England they do nothing, just get very red in the face and shut up their mouths tight.”

Agatha Christie

Murder for Christmas (1939, Holiday for Murder, Hercule Poirot’s Christmas)

“Well, of course, Gwenda dear, you can always do that when you’ve exhausted every other line of approach, but I always think myself it’s better to examine the simplest and most commonplace explanations first.”

Agatha Christie book Sleeping Murder

Sleeping Murder (1976)

““Well, what are you doing? What have you done?”
“I am sitting in this char,” said Poirot. “Thinking,” he added.
“Is that all?” said Mrs. Oliver.
“It is the important thing,” said Poirot.”

Agatha Christie book Third Girl

Third Girl (1966)

“Do you always travel first-class, Mr. Hardman?”
“Yes, sir. The firm pays my travelling expenses.”

Agatha Christie book Murder on the Orient Express

He winked.
Murder on the Orient Express (1934)

“There’s no reason why women shouldn’t behave like rational beings,” said Simon stolidly.
Poirot said dryly:
“Quite frequently they do. That is even more upsetting!”

Agatha Christie book Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile (1937)

“Ah, but it is incredible how often things force one to do the thing one would like to do.”

Agatha Christie book Death in the Clouds

Death in the Clouds (1935)

“Even the sensible and the competent have been given tongues by le bon Dieu — and they do not always employ their tongues wisely.”

Agatha Christie book The Labours of Hercules

The Labours of Hercules (1967)