--- title: "1 Usually Tell Quotes By James M. Cain" description: "1 Usually Tell quotes by James M. Cain. Plus more from James M. Cain and more Usually Tell sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/james-m-cain-14109_bills_you-usually-can-tell-when-a-writer-is-go_1539924.jpg" --- > [You usually can tell when a writer is going down hill by the size of his liquor bill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/you-usually-can-tell-when-a-writer-is-going-down-hill-by-the-size-of/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/james-m-cain-14109_bills_you-usually-can-tell-when-a-writer-is-go_1539924.jpg) ## More by James M. Cain > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [“By nine, Mildred was powdered, puffed, perfumed, and patted to that state of semi-transparency that a woman seems to achieve when she is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/by-nine-mildred-was-powdered-puffed-perfumed-and-patted-to-that-state/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [“I ripped all her clothes off. She twisted and turned, slow, so they would slip out from under her. Then she closed her eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-ripped-all-her-clothes-off-she-twisted-and-turned-slow-so-they/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [“Then she got up, went to Monty's mirror, and began combing her hair, while little cadenzas absentmindedly cascaded out of her throat, and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/then-she-got-up-went-to-monty-s-mirror-and-began-combing-her-hair/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [If your writing doesn't keep you up at night, it won't keep anyone else up either".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/if-your-writing-doesn-t-keep-you-up-at-night-it-won-t-keep-anyone/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [“Up close, she could see the sharp, cold, look that she constantly shot at Mr. Treviso, particularly when there was a break, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/up-close-she-could-see-the-sharp-cold-look-that-she-constantly-shot/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called. I merely try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-make-no-conscious-effort-to-be-tough-or-hard-boiled-or-grim-or-any/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [“let's get stinko.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/let-s-get-stinko/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [I loved her like a rabbit loves a rattlesnake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-loved-her-like-a-rabbit-loves-a-rattlesnake/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [She was a little given to rehearsing things in her mind, and having imaginary triumphs over people who had upset her in one way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/she-was-a-little-given-to-rehearsing-things-in-her-mind-and-having/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [“She looked like the great grandmother of every whore in the world. The devil got his money's worth that night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/she-looked-like-the-great-grandmother-of-every-whore-in-the-world-the/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [They threw me off the haytruck about noon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/they-threw-me-off-the-haytruck-about-noon/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-make-no-conscious-effort-to-be-tough-or-hard-boiled-or-grim-or-any-2/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [When it’s too good, you do it over again. Too good is too easy. If it’s too easy you have to worry. If you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/when-it-s-too-good-you-do-it-over-again-too-good-is-too-easy-if-it-s/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [A guitar has moonlight in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-guitar-has-moonlight-in-it/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usually-tell/james-m-cain/#itemlist", "name": "1 Usually Tell Quotes By James M. Cain", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You usually can tell when a writer is going down hill by the size of his liquor bill.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James M. 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