---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To begin with, you must realize that the…"
description: "\"“To begin with, you must realize that the threatening letters were in the nature of a blind. They might have been lifted bodily out of an indifferently..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/agatha-christie-154_blind_to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the_2624052.jpg"
---

#  To begin with, you must realize that the threatening…

![“To begin with, you must realize that the threatening letters were in the nature of a blind. They might have been lifted bodily out of an indifferently written American crime novel.” quote by Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/agatha-christie-154_blind_to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the_2624052.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/agatha-christie-154_blind_to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the_2624052.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/agatha-christie-154_blind_to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the_2624052.jpg)

> ““To begin with, you must realize that the threatening letters were in the nature of a blind. They might have been lifted bodily out of an indifferently written American crime novel.””

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Threatening letters are a literary device, not real danger, reflecting how fiction can mimic reality.

**In simple terms:** Fiction can blur reality and danger.

Key Takeaway

Recognize fictional threats as narrative tools.

Themes

mystery fiction perception

Mood

analytical curious

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- reading novels
- writing crime stories
- media analysis

Key Concepts

literary device suspense

Questions to Reflect On

- How does fiction influence your sense of safety?
- When should you treat a warning seriously?

A Different Perspective

May underestimate real threats.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Blind Lifted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-lifted-2134621/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letters/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Threatening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatening/) [Threatening Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatening-letters-2134620/)

## Related quotes

> [This problem is not only in Mississippi. During the time I was in the Convention in Atlantic City, I didn't get any threats from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/this-problem-is-not-only-in-mississippi-during-the-time-i-was-in-the/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [I am receiving what I suppose to be the usual number of threatening letters on the subject. Assassination can be no more guarded against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/i-am-receiving-what-i-suppose-to-be-the-usual-number-of-threatening/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [I have had a number of threatening letters each week, some telling me the actual time and method of my death, and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-have-had-a-number-of-threatening-letters-each-week-some-telling-me/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I, myself, was always recognized . . . as the “slow one” in the family. It was quite true, and I knew it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-myself-was-always-recognized-as-the-slow-one-in-the-family-it-was/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [What is the explanation for the blind eye that has been turned on the flood of medical reports on the causative role of carbohydrates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/what-is-the-explanation-for-the-blind-eye-that-has-been-turned-on-the/)

[Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/)

> [Perhaps we have failed as human beings. Perhaps we have embarrassed ourselves to the natural world. We have been rigorous and willful in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/perhaps-we-have-failed-as-human-beings-perhaps-we-have-embarrassed/)

[Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/)

> [Smog is affecting larger parts of China, and environmental pollution has become a major problem, which is natures red-light warning against the model of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-keqiang/smog-is-affecting-larger-parts-of-china-and-environmental-pollution/)

[Li Keqiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-keqiang/)

> [Helen Crawfurd and the Women's Peace Crusade, made a march on the City Chambers, distributing an illegal leaflet in front of police and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-gallacher/helen-crawfurd-and-the-women-s-peace-crusade-made-a-march-on-the-city/)

[Willie Gallacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-gallacher/)

> [“Miss Masters was not content with threatening to hire away his staff, oh no. First, she had to perfume it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/miss-masters-was-not-content-with-threatening-to-hire-away-his-staff/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Let’s go home,” she said. He arched his brows. “Already? I thought you would want to stay for a while.” Dark eyes flashed. “No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/let-s-go-home-she-said-he-arched-his-brows-already-i-thought-you/)

[Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/)

> [The holiness of the church means that life, as well as truth, marks Christ’s church; the behavior of Christians in the world must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clowney/the-holiness-of-the-church-means-that-life-as-well-as-truth-marks/)

[Edmund Clowney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clowney/)

> [The Monkees was a straight sitcom, we used the same plots that were on the other situation comedies at the time. So the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tork/the-monkees-was-a-straight-sitcom-we-used-the-same-plots-that-were-on/)

[Peter Tork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tork/)

> [Stephen Colbert's recent comment is apropos: When the Republican legislature of North Carolina responded to a scientific study predicting a threatening rise in sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/stephen-colbert-s-recent-comment-is-apropos-when-the-republican/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [The more people that learn about you, even if you're an underdog, then you can come under fire a lot and the more attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-more-people-that-learn-about-you-even-if-you-re-an-underdog-then/)

[Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/)

> [Oppression is something that one group of people commits against another group specifically because of a threatening characteristic shared by the latter group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/oppression-is-something-that-one-group-of-people-commits-against/)

[Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/)

## More by Agatha Christie

> [One must accept the fact that we have only one companion in this world, a companion who accompanies us from the cradle to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/one-must-accept-the-fact-that-we-have-only-one-companion-in-this/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“I like to see an angry Englishman," said Poirot. "They are very amusing. The more emotional they feel the less command they have of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-like-to-see-an-angry-englishman-said-poirot-they-are-very-amusing/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Now, as I expect you know, there is nothing more cruel than talk, and there is nothing more difficult to combat. When people say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/now-as-i-expect-you-know-there-is-nothing-more-cruel-than-talk-and/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“A child says ‘Thank God for my good dinner’. What can I say at seventy-five? ‘Thank God for my good life, and for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-child-says-thank-god-for-my-good-dinner-what-can-i-say-at-seventy/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“I'm afraid I always find Shakespeare terribly dreary. All those long scenes where everybody is drunk and it's supposed to be funny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-m-afraid-i-always-find-shakespeare-terribly-dreary-all-those-long/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Either her dream had taken a very odd turn or else - or else Mary had really rushed into the room and had said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/either-her-dream-had-taken-a-very-odd-turn-or-else-or-else-mary-had/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend,” observed Poirot philosophically. “You cannot mix up sentiment and reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/every-murderer-is-probably-somebody-s-old-friend-observed-poirot/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Well, of course, it was not any of my business but you get very queer glimpses of life sometimes, and you can't help speculating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/well-of-course-it-was-not-any-of-my-business-but-you-get-very-queer/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Mr. Satterthwaite looked cheered. Suddenly an idea struck him. His jaw fell. "My goodness," he cried, "I've only just realized it! That rascal, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/mr-satterthwaite-looked-cheered-suddenly-an-idea-struck-him-his-jaw/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“The old gentleman refuses to have the telephone which he regards as a device of the devil, and on a par with radio, television,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/the-old-gentleman-refuses-to-have-the-telephone-which-he-regards-as-a/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“That’s how they do it, these girls! Othello charmed Desdemona by telling her stories, but, oh, didn’t Desdemona charm Othello by the way she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/that-s-how-they-do-it-these-girls-othello-charmed-desdemona-by/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-is-ridiculous-to-set-a-detective-story-in-new-york-city-new-york/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Poirot, watching him, felt suddenly a doubt--an uncomfortable twinge. Was there, here, something that he had missed? Some richness of the spirit? Sadness crept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/poirot-watching-him-felt-suddenly-a-doubt-an-uncomfortable-twinge-was/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [In the midst of life, we are in death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/in-the-midst-of-life-we-are-in-death/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [Then there are some minor points that strike me as suggestive - for instance, the position of Mrs. Hubbard's sponge bag, the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/then-there-are-some-minor-points-that-strike-me-as-suggestive-for/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

[Explore all 1,053 Agatha Christie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

## More Blind quotes

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [Love is so blind, it feels right when it's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/love-is-so-blind-it-feels-right-when-it-s-wrong/)

[Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/)

> [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/)

[Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/)

> [“What I shall feel to-morrow I cannot tell. Maybe I shall go blind again, for women are never two days alike in their minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-parker/what-i-shall-feel-to-morrow-i-cannot-tell-maybe-i-shall-go-blind/)

[Gilbert Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-parker/)

> [Now the stage today is to know that Self Realization gives you experiences and then your faith is established. Not blind but open enlightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/now-the-stage-today-is-to-know-that-self-realization-gives-you/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [“The heart’s blind. It’s the head that causes all the trouble. Sometimes both are stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-bromberg/the-heart-s-blind-it-s-the-head-that-causes-all-the-trouble-sometimes/)

[K. Bromberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-bromberg/)

> [“In the story of the blind men and the elephant, what’s usually ignored is the fact that each man’s description was correct. What Faye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/in-the-story-of-the-blind-men-and-the-elephant-what-s-usually-ignored/)

[Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/)

> [My favorite performance would definitely be "Toxic," which was my blind audition song. It was the start of it all and it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/my-favorite-performance-would-definitely-be-toxic-which-was-my-blind/)

[Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/)

> [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/)

[Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/)

> [If you are the master be sometimes blind, if you are the servant be sometimes deaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/if-you-are-the-master-be-sometimes-blind-if-you-are-the-servant-be/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [I'm glad I'm blind and can't see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/i-m-glad-i-m-blind-and-can-t-see-it/)

[Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/)

> [Shut your eyes and you will know what I mean by thought entombed in darkness. Light comes through the senses, and not only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/shut-your-eyes-and-you-will-know-what-i-mean-by-thought-entombed-in/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

[Browse all 3,877 Blind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“To begin with, you must realize that the threatening letters were in the nature of a blind. They might have been lifted bodily out of an indifferently written American crime novel.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Agatha Christie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the-threatening-letters-were-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blind"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the-threatening-letters-were-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/agatha-christie-154_blind_to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the_2624052.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/agatha-christie-154_blind_to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the_2624052.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/agatha-christie-154_blind_to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the_2624052.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To begin with, you must realize that the threatening letters were in the nature of a blind. They might have…” — Agatha Christie",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "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": "Agatha Christie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“To begin with, you must realize...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the-threatening-letters-were-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/to-begin-with-you-must-realize-that-the-threatening-letters-were-in/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
