I love to make a mistake. It is my only assurance that I cannot reasonably be expected to assume the responsibility of omniscience. Rex Stout More Quotes by Rex Stout More Quotes From Rex Stout There's nothing as safe as ignorance or as dangerous. Rex Stout dangerous ignorance safe God made you and me, in certain respects, quite unequal, and it would be futile to try any interference with His arrangements. Rex Stout equality would-be trying Of course the modern detective story puts off its best tricks till the last, but Doyle always put his best tricks first and that's why they're still the best ones. Rex Stout detectives lasts stories Genius is fine for the ignition spark, but to get there someone has to see that the radiator doesn't leak and no tire is flat. Rex Stout sparks tire genius Sometimes it's things that take the joy out of life, like a blowout when you're hitting sixty or a button coming off of a shirt when you're in a hurry, but usually it's people. Rex Stout buttons joy people What the tongue has promised, the body must submit to. Rex Stout submit tongue body The requisitions of the income tax have added greatly to the attractions of mercenary crime. Rex Stout taxes income crime The incredible thing happens at the beginning of the story always, you notice, not the end. A Sherlock Holmes story is never a trick story. Rex Stout incredibles ends stories As a professional writer of detective stories, I string along with the ballplayers. I love a ball game. Rex Stout balls games stories To read of a detective's daring finesse or ingenious stratagem is a rare joy. Rex Stout finesse detectives joy There are two kinds of characters in all fiction, the born and the synthetic. If the writer has to ask himself questions - is he tall, is he short? - he had better quit. Rex Stout character two fiction No man with any sense assumes that a woman's words mean to her exactly what they mean to him. Rex Stout women men mean There are only two kinds of books which you can write and be pretty sure you're going to make a living cook books and detective stories. Rex Stout writing two book Afraid? I can dodge folly without backing into fear. Rex Stout dodge folly fear The fricassee with dumplings is made by a Mrs. Miller whose husband has left her four times on account of her disposition and returned four times on account of her cooking. Rex Stout husband cooking food What good is an obscenity trial except to popularize literature? Rex Stout obscenity literature trials No man was ever taken to hell by a woman unless he already had a ticket in his pocket. Rex Stout women pockets taken One trouble with living beyond your deserved number of years is that there's always some reason to live another year. And I'd like to live another year so that Nixon won't be President. If he's re-elected I'll have to live another four years. Rex Stout president numbers years Sarcasm is not the rapier of wit its wielders seem to believe it to be, but merely a club: it may, by dint of brute force, occasionally raise bruises, but it never cuts or pierces. Rex Stout sarcasm cutting believe There are damn few great writers and I'm not one of them. While I could afford to I played with words. When I could no longer afford that I wrote for money. Rex Stout great-writers damn
