---
title: "1 Play Detective Quotes By James Ellroy"
description: "1 Play Detective quotes by James Ellroy. Plus more from James Ellroy and more Play Detective sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/james-ellroy-2967_careers_i-am-a-writer-i-could-not-afford-to-take_2997413.jpg"
---

> [I am a writer. I could not afford to take 15 months off from my writing career to play detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-am-a-writer-i-could-not-afford-to-take-15-months-off-from-my/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/james-ellroy-2967_careers_i-am-a-writer-i-could-not-afford-to-take_2997413.jpg)

## More by James Ellroy

> [“Fear and I played peek-a-boo - it always seemed to grab my balls and twist just when it felt like something inside me could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/fear-and-i-played-peek-a-boo-it-always-seemed-to-grab-my-balls-and/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [My father actually went to college, and my mother went to nursing school, so, you know. I wouldn't... They were actually too square and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/my-father-actually-went-to-college-and-my-mother-went-to-nursing/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [I've created a narrative of the world. I live in the world - tenuously, most times. I've avoided the digital world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-ve-created-a-narrative-of-the-world-i-live-in-the-world-tenuously/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [Some men get the world, some men get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona. You're in with the former, but my God I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/some-men-get-the-world-some-men-get-ex-hookers-and-a-trip-to-arizona/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [In the time just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when Perfidia opens, we were pre-psychologized. There were no concepts of identity, no politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/in-the-time-just-before-the-bombing-of-pearl-harbor-when-perfidia/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [“It all came down to money - the great equalizer and common denominator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/it-all-came-down-to-money-the-great-equalizer-and-common-denominator/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [I think the great unspoken theme in noir fiction is male self-pity. It pervades noir movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-think-the-great-unspoken-theme-in-noir-fiction-is-male-self-pity-it/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [“Don't make a career out of underestimating me." — Claire de Haven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/don-t-make-a-career-out-of-underestimating-me-claire-de-haven/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [“I didn't care who we were. I required no consummation. I knew that whoever we were and whatever we had would never stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-didn-t-care-who-we-were-i-required-no-consummation-i-knew-that/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [Where’s your sketch pad?” I asked. … “I gave that up,” Kay said. “I wasn’t very good, so I changed my major.” “To what?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/where-s-your-sketch-pad-i-asked-i-gave-that-up-kay-said-i-wasn-t-very/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [I am a master of fiction. I am also the greatest crime novelist who ever lived. I am to the crime novel in specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-am-a-master-of-fiction-i-am-also-the-greatest-crime-novelist-who/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [ I don't want to recover from writing this book \[The Onion\]. I feel very poised. I feel like I'm with my mother for the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-don-t-want-to-recover-from-writing-this-book-the-onion-i-feel-very/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [Rock and rollers can get you the youth buzz, and younger people are fanatical readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/rock-and-rollers-can-get-you-the-youth-buzz-and-younger-people-are/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [I don't know anybody in the underworld. I make this stuff up. I don't know any criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-don-t-know-anybody-in-the-underworld-i-make-this-stuff-up-i-don-t/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

> [“He took three shots a night-no more, no less. He switched from whisky to straight gin. The bum compensated for the scant volume. Three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/he-took-three-shots-a-night-no-more-no-less-he-switched-from-whisky/)

[James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-detective/james-ellroy/#itemlist",
            "name": "1 Play Detective Quotes By James Ellroy",
            "numberOfItems": 1,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I am a writer. I could not afford to take 15 months off from my writing career to play detective.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "James Ellroy"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-am-a-writer-i-could-not-afford-to-take-15-months-off-from-my/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/james-ellroy-2967_careers_i-am-a-writer-i-could-not-afford-to-take_2997413.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/james-ellroy-2967_careers_i-am-a-writer-i-could-not-afford-to-take_2997413.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/james-ellroy-2967_careers_i-am-a-writer-i-could-not-afford-to-take_2997413.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I am a writer. I could not afford to take 15 months off from my writing career to play detective.” — James Ellroy",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-detective/james-ellroy/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-detective/james-ellroy/",
            "name": "Play Detective Quotes by James Ellroy",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-detective/james-ellroy/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/james-ellroy-2967_careers_i-am-a-writer-i-could-not-afford-to-take_2997413.jpg"
            },
            "description": "1 Play Detective quotes by James Ellroy. Plus more from James Ellroy and more Play Detective sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-detective/james-ellroy/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-detective/james-ellroy/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Play Detective",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-detective/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "James Ellroy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-detective/james-ellroy/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```