--- title: "4 Detective Quotes By Dashiell Hammett" description: "4 Detective quotes by Dashiell Hammett. Plus more from Dashiell Hammett and more Detective sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/dashiell-hammett-3863_attacking_what-i-try-to-do-is-write-a-story-about_1271870.png" --- > [What I try to do is write a story about a detective rather than a detective story. Keeping the reader fooled until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/what-i-try-to-do-is-write-a-story-about-a-detective-rather-than-a/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/dashiell-hammett-3863_attacking_what-i-try-to-do-is-write-a-story-about_1271870.png) > [“She tilted her head to the right. "You didn't even tell me you had taken the case." "I had done what? Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/she-tilted-her-head-to-the-right-you-didn-t-even-tell-me-you-had/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07f/dashiell-hammett-3863_detective_she-tilted-her-head-to-the-right-you-did_1429287.png) > [“Nora was eating a piece of cold duck with one hand and working on a jig-saw puzzle with the other when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/nora-was-eating-a-piece-of-cold-duck-with-one-hand-and-working-on-a/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a41/dashiell-hammett-3863_detective_nora-was-eating-a-piece-of-cold-duck-wit_1999825.jpg) > [“...Our friend Nunheim was filled full of .32s just about an hour after he copped the sneak on us - deader'n hell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/our-friend-nunheim-was-filled-full-of-32s-just-about-an-hour-after-he/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e15/dashiell-hammett-3863_death_our-friend-nunheim-was-filled-full-of-32_2648335.png) ## Other authors on Detective - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b007/author-abramelin-keldor-26264.jpg) Abramelin Keldor 22 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/abramelin-keldor/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b020/author-raymond-chandler-77612.jpg) Raymond Chandler 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/raymond-chandler/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b018/author-nic-pizzolatto-70978.jpg) Nic Pizzolatto 10 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/nic-pizzolatto/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b003/author-agatha-christie-9726.jpg) Agatha Christie 9 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/agatha-christie/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-cary-fukunaga-2753.jpg) Cary Fukunaga 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/cary-fukunaga/) - [Kendric Neal 6 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/kendric-neal/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b004/author-arthur-conan-doyle-14897.jpg) Arthur Conan Doyle 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/arthur-conan-doyle/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b003/author-alan-bradley-10266.jpg) Alan Bradley 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/alan-bradley/) ## More by Dashiell Hammett > [It's sometimes better to pretend I don't hear the sound of somebody in the nearby woods with a shotgun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/it-s-sometimes-better-to-pretend-i-don-t-hear-the-sound-of-somebody/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“This damned burg's getting me. If I don't get away soon I'll be going blood-simple like the natives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/this-damned-burg-s-getting-me-if-i-don-t-get-away-soon-i-ll-be-going/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“You know Quinn?" Macaulay asked me. "Ten minutes ago I was putting him to bed." Macaulay grinned. "I hope you keep his acquaintance like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/you-know-quinn-macaulay-asked-me-ten-minutes-ago-i-was-putting-him-to/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“Gutman smiled benignly at him and said: “Well, Wilmer, I’m sorry indeed to lose you, and I want you to know that I couldn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/gutman-smiled-benignly-at-him-and-said-well-wilmer-i-m-sorry-indeed/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“...I guess I can put two and two together." "Sometimes the answer's four," I said, "and sometimes it's twenty-two...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-guess-i-can-put-two-and-two-together-sometimes-the-answer-s-four-i/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Nora: "How do you feel?" Nick: "Terrible. I must've gone to bed sober.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/nora-how-do-you-feel-nick-terrible-i-must-ve-gone-to-bed-sober/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [A lot of fancier yarns come from people trying to tell the truth. It’s not easy once you’re out of the habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/a-lot-of-fancier-yarns-come-from-people-trying-to-tell-the-truth-it-s/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Three times I have been mistaken for a prohibition agent, but never had any trouble clearing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/three-times-i-have-been-mistaken-for-a-prohibition-agent-but-never/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Listen, Dundy, it's been a long time since I burst into tears because a policeman didn't like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/listen-dundy-it-s-been-a-long-time-since-i-burst-into-tears-because-a/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“...What do people think about my staying with Harrison with him chasing everything that's hot and hollow?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/what-do-people-think-about-my-staying-with-harrison-with-him-chasing/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“Don't be so damned patronizing. Your performance so far has been a little less than dazzling." "I didn't mean no harm," I said and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/don-t-be-so-damned-patronizing-your-performance-so-far-has-been-a/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [...What disturbed him was the discovery that in sensibly ordering his affairs he had got out of step, and not into step, with Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/what-disturbed-him-was-the-discovery-that-in-sensibly-ordering-his/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [I haven't any sort of plans for the future but I reckon things will work out in some manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-haven-t-any-sort-of-plans-for-the-future-but-i-reckon-things-will/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [To get what he wanted, a man had to give other people what they wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/to-get-what-he-wanted-a-man-had-to-give-other-people-what-they-wanted/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [He felt like somebody had taken the lid off life and let him see the works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/he-felt-like-somebody-had-taken-the-lid-off-life-and-let-him-see-the/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/dashiell-hammett/#itemlist", "name": "4 Detective Quotes By Dashiell Hammett", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I try to do is write a story about a detective rather than a detective story. 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