--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Holmes had returned entirely to his old…" description: "\"“Holmes had returned entirely to his old self – secretive, over-confident and thoroughly annoying.”\" — Anthony Horowitz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/anthony-horowitz-1452_holmes_holmes-had-returned-entirely-to-his-old_2031401.png" --- # Holmes had returned entirely to his old self – secretive… ![“Holmes had returned entirely to his old self – secretive, over-confident and thoroughly annoying.” quote by Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/anthony-horowitz-1452_holmes_holmes-had-returned-entirely-to-his-old_2031401.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/anthony-horowitz-1452_holmes_holmes-had-returned-entirely-to-his-old_2031401.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/anthony-horowitz-1452_holmes_holmes-had-returned-entirely-to-his-old_2031401.png) > ““Holmes had returned entirely to his old self – secretive, over-confident and thoroughly annoying.”” [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Holmes reverts to his classic traits, becoming secretive, over‑confident, and irritating to others. **In simple terms:** Holmes becomes annoying again. Key Takeaway Accept his quirks, focus on his deductions. Themes character behavior detective fiction irritation Mood frustrated amused Type literary character study When to use this quote - reading mystery novels - team investigations - handling difficult personalities Key Concepts psychology ego social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do his traits affect case outcomes? - Can irritability be a useful tool? 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When you read the stories, they stay with you forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/there-s-something-very-strange-about-sherlock-holmes-especially-if/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [I hear it still. As I lay down my pen and take to my bed, I am aware of the bow being drawn across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/i-hear-it-still-as-i-lay-down-my-pen-and-take-to-my-bed-i-am-aware-of/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“No, the events which I am about to describe were simply too monstrous, too shocking to appear in print. They still are. 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You think that all this killing is worth it because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/you-re-trying-to-tell-me-that-everything-you-ve-done-is-for-a-good/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [Your name?"The movements of the man's mouth didn't quite match what he was saying, so seeing him speak was a bit like watching a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/your-name-the-movements-of-the-man-s-mouth-didn-t-quite-match-what-he/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [McCain might have suffered hardships in his life, but what had happened to him had nothing to do with his background or his color;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/mccain-might-have-suffered-hardships-in-his-life-but-what-had/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [What is this place? Hogwarts?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/what-is-this-place-hogwarts/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [I'm a private victim of a peculiar household.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/i-m-a-private-victim-of-a-peculiar-household/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [My generation has left the globe in a mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/my-generation-has-left-the-globe-in-a-mess/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) [Explore all 236 Anthony Horowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) ## More Holmes quotes > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“military historian Richard Holmes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-wright/military-historian-richard-holmes/) [Clare Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-wright/) > [I am seeing all the guys, like Earnie Shavers, Tex Cobb, and Larry Holmes all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/i-am-seeing-all-the-guys-like-earnie-shavers-tex-cobb-and-larry/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [He had the attitude that he could do anything, and therefore so can you. He put his life in my hands. So that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-had-the-attitude-that-he-could-do-anything-and-therefore-so-can/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/to-sherlock-holmes-she-is-always-the-woman-i-have-seldom-heard-him/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I lost three times in my career. Losing to Holmes I could deal with, because I lost to a true champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/i-lost-three-times-in-my-career-losing-to-holmes-i-could-deal-with/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [I loved Sherlock Holmes as a kid, but I remember being disappointed when he'd come up with these simple explanations for these complex mysteries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weir/i-loved-sherlock-holmes-as-a-kid-but-i-remember-being-disappointed/) [Peter Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weir/) > [Why would you envy a man who doesn't know the names of all the planets, is a 'high functioning' sociopath, and has no friends?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-hill/why-would-you-envy-a-man-who-doesn-t-know-the-names-of-all-the/) [Kyle Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-hill/) > [The provocation with Holmes is the fact that he's described by Doyle as a man without a heart - all brain... and that's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-brett/the-provocation-with-holmes-is-the-fact-that-he-s-described-by-doyle/) [Jeremy Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-brett/) > [“Holmes was charming and gracious, but something about him made Belknap uneasy. 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