--- title: "12 Detective Novel Quotes by 12 authors" description: "Browse 12 Detective Novel quotes by 12 authors. Discover the best Detective Novel sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/v-s-pritchett-13789_art_the-detective-novel-is-the-art-for-art-s_517534.jpg" --- > [The detective novel is the art-for-art's-sake of our yawning Philistinism, the classic example of a specialized form of art removed from contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-pritchett/the-detective-novel-is-the-art-for-art-s-sake-of-our-yawning/) [V. S. Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-pritchett/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/v-s-pritchett-13789_art_the-detective-novel-is-the-art-for-art-s_517534.jpg) > [When I was young, I knew William Burroughs really well. And William's secret desire, which he never quite did, was to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/when-i-was-young-i-knew-william-burroughs-really-well-and-william-s/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/patti-smith-394_books_when-i-was-young-i-knew-william-burrough_3152920.jpg) > [But the first published thing I did was a detective story, detective novel, and I did that on my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/but-the-first-published-thing-i-did-was-a-detective-story-detective/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bc/peter-shaffer-8949_books_but-the-first-published-thing-i-did-was_1124881.jpg) > [When I'm working on a serious and solid book ... I read about a detective novel a day. It's the best legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lee-settle/when-i-m-working-on-a-serious-and-solid-book-i-read-about-a-detective/) [Mary Lee Settle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lee-settle/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/mary-lee-settle-47976_book_when-i-m-working-on-a-serious-and-solid_1876091.jpg) > [“After all, the fundamental question of philosophy (like that of psychoanalysis) is the same as the question of the detective novel: who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/after-all-the-fundamental-question-of-philosophy-like-that-of/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/umberto-eco-313_guilt_after-all-the-fundamental-question-of-ph_490014.jpg) > [Ah, there's nothing like tea in the afternoon. When the British Empire collapses, historians will find that it had made but two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/ah-there-s-nothing-like-tea-in-the-afternoon-when-the-british-empire/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/ayn-rand-59_afternoon_ah-there-s-nothing-like-tea-in-the-after_2852674.jpg) > [“Have you ever felt, in the course of reading a detective novel, a guilty thrill of relief at having a character murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/have-you-ever-felt-in-the-course-of-reading-a-detective-novel-a/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ca/jonathan-lethem-1403_adventure_have-you-ever-felt-in-the-course-of-read_2952742.png) > [My experience of life is that it is not divided up into genres; it’s a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/my-experience-of-life-is-that-it-is-not-divided-up-into-genres-it-s-a/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/alan-moore-583_comical_my-experience-of-life-is-that-it-is-not_2277002.jpg) > [With the second book, I didn't have an ideal reader in mind, as it developed quite out of my control, this detective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/with-the-second-book-i-didn-t-have-an-ideal-reader-in-mind-as-it/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/viv-albertine-5176_anger_with-the-second-book-i-didn-t-have-an-id_2113128.jpg) > [I'm trying to keep it fresh for me. I'm just trying to not bore myself. And if I can do a detective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-m-trying-to-keep-it-fresh-for-me-i-m-just-trying-to-not-bore-myself/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/colson-whitehead-1042_books_i-m-trying-to-keep-it-fresh-for-me-i-m-j_1885531.jpg) > [Yeah, I'd say there's probably about a couple of hundred people I admire - but that has nothing to do with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/yeah-i-d-say-there-s-probably-about-a-couple-of-hundred-people-i/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/tom-verlaine-12733_admire_yeah-i-d-say-there-s-probably-about-a-co_1147266.jpg) > [A detective novel should contain no long descriptive passages, no literary dallying with side-issues, no subtly worked-out character analyses, no 'atmospheric' preoccupations.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/a-detective-novel-should-contain-no-long-descriptive-passages-no/) [S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/s-s-van-dine-52963_action_a-detective-novel-should-contain-no-long_1873462.jpg) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective-novel/#itemlist", "name": "Detective Novel Quotes", "numberOfItems": 12, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The detective novel is the art-for-art's-sake of our yawning Philistinism, the classic example of a specialized form of art removed from contact with the life it pretends to build on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "V. S. Pritchett" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-pritchett/the-detective-novel-is-the-art-for-art-s-sake-of-our-yawning/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/v-s-pritchett-13789_art_the-detective-novel-is-the-art-for-art-s_517534.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/v-s-pritchett-13789_art_the-detective-novel-is-the-art-for-art-s_517534.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/v-s-pritchett-13789_art_the-detective-novel-is-the-art-for-art-s_517534.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The detective novel is the art-for-art's-sake of our yawning Philistinism, the classic example of a…” — V. S. Pritchett", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was young, I knew William Burroughs really well. And William's secret desire, which he never quite did, was to write a straightforward detective novel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patti Smith" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/when-i-was-young-i-knew-william-burroughs-really-well-and-william-s/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/patti-smith-394_books_when-i-was-young-i-knew-william-burrough_3152920.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/patti-smith-394_books_when-i-was-young-i-knew-william-burrough_3152920.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be2/patti-smith-394_books_when-i-was-young-i-knew-william-burrough_3152920.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was young, I knew William Burroughs really well. 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I read about a detective novel a day. It's the best legal dope in the world. It makes you feel good until the next morning you can work again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Lee Settle" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lee-settle/when-i-m-working-on-a-serious-and-solid-book-i-read-about-a-detective/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/mary-lee-settle-47976_book_when-i-m-working-on-a-serious-and-solid_1876091.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/mary-lee-settle-47976_book_when-i-m-working-on-a-serious-and-solid_1876091.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c6/mary-lee-settle-47976_book_when-i-m-working-on-a-serious-and-solid_1876091.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I'm working on a serious and solid book ... I read about a detective novel a day. 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When the British Empire collapses, historians will find that it had made but two invaluable contributions to civilization - this tea ritual and the detective novel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ayn Rand" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/ah-there-s-nothing-like-tea-in-the-afternoon-when-the-british-empire/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/ayn-rand-59_afternoon_ah-there-s-nothing-like-tea-in-the-after_2852674.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/ayn-rand-59_afternoon_ah-there-s-nothing-like-tea-in-the-after_2852674.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/ayn-rand-59_afternoon_ah-there-s-nothing-like-tea-in-the-after_2852674.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ah, there's nothing like tea in the afternoon. 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Better to have them gone.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Lethem" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/have-you-ever-felt-in-the-course-of-reading-a-detective-novel-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ca/jonathan-lethem-1403_adventure_have-you-ever-felt-in-the-course-of-read_2952742.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ca/jonathan-lethem-1403_adventure_have-you-ever-felt-in-the-course-of-read_2952742.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ca/jonathan-lethem-1403_adventure_have-you-ever-felt-in-the-course-of-read_2952742.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Have you ever felt, in the course of reading a detective novel, a guilty thrill of relief at having a…” — Jonathan Lethem", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My experience of life is that it is not divided up into genres; it’s a horrifying, romantic, tragic, comical, science-fiction cowboy detective novel. You know, with a bit of pornography if you're lucky.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Moore" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/my-experience-of-life-is-that-it-is-not-divided-up-into-genres-it-s-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/alan-moore-583_comical_my-experience-of-life-is-that-it-is-not_2277002.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/alan-moore-583_comical_my-experience-of-life-is-that-it-is-not_2277002.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/alan-moore-583_comical_my-experience-of-life-is-that-it-is-not_2277002.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My experience of life is that it is not divided up into genres; it’s a horrifying, romantic, tragic…” — Alan Moore", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With the second book, I didn't have an ideal reader in mind, as it developed quite out of my control, this detective novel of why am I so full of anger, why did I pick up a guitar when I was poor and uneducated.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viv Albertine" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/with-the-second-book-i-didn-t-have-an-ideal-reader-in-mind-as-it/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/viv-albertine-5176_anger_with-the-second-book-i-didn-t-have-an-id_2113128.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/viv-albertine-5176_anger_with-the-second-book-i-didn-t-have-an-id_2113128.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ae/viv-albertine-5176_anger_with-the-second-book-i-didn-t-have-an-id_2113128.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“With the second book, I didn't have an ideal reader in mind, as it developed quite out of my control, this…” — Viv Albertine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm trying to keep it fresh for me. I'm just trying to not bore myself. And if I can do a detective novel, and if I can do a horror novel, then why do it again? To keep the work challenging I have to keep moving.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Colson Whitehead" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-m-trying-to-keep-it-fresh-for-me-i-m-just-trying-to-not-bore-myself/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/colson-whitehead-1042_books_i-m-trying-to-keep-it-fresh-for-me-i-m-j_1885531.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/colson-whitehead-1042_books_i-m-trying-to-keep-it-fresh-for-me-i-m-j_1885531.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/colson-whitehead-1042_books_i-m-trying-to-keep-it-fresh-for-me-i-m-j_1885531.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm trying to keep it fresh for me. I'm just trying to not bore myself. And if I can do a detective novel…” — Colson Whitehead", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Yeah, I'd say there's probably about a couple of hundred people I admire - but that has nothing to do with what a person does themselves. That's why I never mention these things. You can read a detective novel you really like, but it had no bearing on what you do yourself, you just think, \"God, how this guy wove this together!\" Or you get into the energy of it. Or you see a poem which makes a great statement about sentiment, but it's not sentimental.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Verlaine" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/yeah-i-d-say-there-s-probably-about-a-couple-of-hundred-people-i/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/tom-verlaine-12733_admire_yeah-i-d-say-there-s-probably-about-a-co_1147266.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/tom-verlaine-12733_admire_yeah-i-d-say-there-s-probably-about-a-co_1147266.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcd/tom-verlaine-12733_admire_yeah-i-d-say-there-s-probably-about-a-co_1147266.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yeah, I'd say there's probably about a couple of hundred people I admire - but that has nothing to do with…” — Tom Verlaine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A detective novel should contain no long descriptive passages, no literary dallying with side-issues, no subtly worked-out character analyses, no 'atmospheric' preoccupations. Such matters have no vital place in a record of crime and deduction. They hold up the action and introduce issues irrelevant to the main purpose, which is to state a problem, analyze it, and bring it to a successful conclusion. To be sure, there must be a sufficient descriptiveness and character delineation to give the novel verisimilitude.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "S. S. Van Dine" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/a-detective-novel-should-contain-no-long-descriptive-passages-no/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/s-s-van-dine-52963_action_a-detective-novel-should-contain-no-long_1873462.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/s-s-van-dine-52963_action_a-detective-novel-should-contain-no-long_1873462.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e13/s-s-van-dine-52963_action_a-detective-novel-should-contain-no-long_1873462.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A detective novel should contain no long descriptive passages, no literary dallying with side-issues, no…” — S. S. Van Dine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective-novel/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective-novel/", "name": "Detective Novel Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective-novel/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/v-s-pritchett-13789_art_the-detective-novel-is-the-art-for-art-s_517534.jpg" }, "description": "Browse 12 Detective Novel quotes by 12 authors. 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