“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.”

— Raymond Chandler , book The Simple Art of Murder

The quote "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished n…" is famous quote by Raymond Chandler (1888–1959), Novelist, screenwriter.

essay, first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly (November, 1945)
The Simple Art of Murder (1950)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update April 18, 2023. History

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Raymond Chandler 124

Novelist, screenwriter 1888–1959

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Raymond Chandler 124

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