--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When hunting a Maltese Falcon, catch it…" description: "\"“When hunting a Maltese Falcon, catch it, but don’t scratch it!”\" — Anthony Marais" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/anthony-marais-22686_falcon_when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-b_3010302.jpg" --- # When hunting a Maltese Falcon, catch it, but don’t scratch… ![“When hunting a Maltese Falcon, catch it, but don’t scratch it!” quote by Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/anthony-marais-22686_falcon_when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-b_3010302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/anthony-marais-22686_falcon_when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-b_3010302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/anthony-marais-22686_falcon_when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-b_3010302.jpg) > ““When hunting a Maltese Falcon, catch it, but don’t scratch it!”” [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Capture your goal without harming it; handle pursuits delicately. **In simple terms:** Get what you want without damaging it. Key Takeaway Pursue goals carefully. Themes strategy ethics goal pursuit Mood advisory cautionary Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - business deals - personal relationships - creative projects Key Concepts delicate handling risk management Questions to Reflect On - What does "don't scratch it" mean to you? - How can you balance ambition and caution? A Different Perspective Risk of losing the prize by being too aggressive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Falcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falcon/) [Falcon Catch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falcon-catch-4824141/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Hunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunting/) [Hunting Maltese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunting-maltese-4824140/) [Maltese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maltese-2286613/) [Maltese Falcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maltese-falcon/) ## Related quotes > [Very few of my books are about who stole the Maltese Falcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/very-few-of-my-books-are-about-who-stole-the-maltese-falcon/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [I definitely have an affection for detective fiction, and when I first read Dashiell Hammett's 'The Maltese Falcon,' that book and its author made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/i-definitely-have-an-affection-for-detective-fiction-and-when-i-first/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [Here's the point - and Jonah Goldberg reminds us of this. He wrote a blog post that was titled "The MacGuffinization of American Politics."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/here-s-the-point-and-jonah-goldberg-reminds-us-of-this-he-wrote-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, its possible to get another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-couldn-t-be-fonder-of-you-if-you-were-my-own-son-but-well-if-you/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, its possible to get another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-couldn-t-be-fonder-of-you-if-you-were-my-own-son-but-well-if-you-2/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [I spoke Spanish when I was three, and then Maltese. I love dictionaries. I like foreigners. My dad moved every year before I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd/i-spoke-spanish-when-i-was-three-and-then-maltese-i-love-dictionaries/) [John Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd/) > [The funny thing is, when a Harley-Davidson guy full of tattoos comes out with a Maltese, they're trying to soften themselves out. When a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/the-funny-thing-is-when-a-harley-davidson-guy-full-of-tattoos-comes/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [I have a Maltese Shih Tzu. I'm notorious for dressing her up in sweaters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-sunshine/i-have-a-maltese-shih-tzu-i-m-notorious-for-dressing-her-up-in/) [Caroline Sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-sunshine/) > [I have my dog Cooper, who is a Maltese, and he hears me singing a lot around the house. I took him on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-roberts/i-have-my-dog-cooper-who-is-a-maltese-and-he-hears-me-singing-a-lot/) [Ashley Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-roberts/) > [“I certainly wish you would have invented a more reasonable story. I felt distinctly like an idiot repeating it." Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-certainly-wish-you-would-have-invented-a-more-reasonable-story-i/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“This is the stuff dreams are made of, right?" I could've pointed out the misquotation; everybody goes for Humphrey Bogarst's famous like from The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-wray/this-is-the-stuff-dreams-are-made-of-right-i-could-ve-pointed-out-the/) [Ramona Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-wray/) > [“To swipe the immortal lines uttered by Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, a great mystery should take "the lid off life and let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/to-swipe-the-immortal-lines-uttered-by-sam-spade-in-the-maltese/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Sydney and I made so many pictures together we were becoming Abbott and Costello, so we broke up. You know Greenstreet was a comedian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lorre/sydney-and-i-made-so-many-pictures-together-we-were-becoming-abbott/) [Peter Lorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lorre/) > [When I was a teenager, I was a voracious reader of crime fiction, but only contemporary books. I was not interested in reading 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-was-a-voracious-reader-of-crime-fiction-but-2/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [“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/) ## More by Anthony Marais > [“A joke is a question of mind over manner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/a-joke-is-a-question-of-mind-over-manner/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [To imagine the world without gods and religion is reasonable enough; to imagine mankind without them is an entirely different matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/to-imagine-the-world-without-gods-and-religion-is-reasonable-enough/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [“We need but three things to change the world: a brain, a heart, and a friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/we-need-but-three-things-to-change-the-world-a-brain-a-heart-and-a/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [“We are all born wise. Unfortunately, we all don’t die that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/we-are-all-born-wise-unfortunately-we-all-don-t-die-that-way/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [“Temptation is the voice of reason without its clothes on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/temptation-is-the-voice-of-reason-without-its-clothes-on/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [Wisdom doesn’t come only from the experience you have had, but from the experience you have chosen not to have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/wisdom-doesn-t-come-only-from-the-experience-you-have-had-but-from/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [“Sympathy is to love thy neighbor. Empathy is to leave her alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/sympathy-is-to-love-thy-neighbor-empathy-is-to-leave-her-alone/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [We are not born with a need for knowledge, but a hunger for it. Eve bit the apple and it has been gluttony ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/we-are-not-born-with-a-need-for-knowledge-but-a-hunger-for-it-eve-bit/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [“It is said that the depressive has a clearer view of reality than does the euphoric. Perhaps, but the euphoric has a clearer view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/it-is-said-that-the-depressive-has-a-clearer-view-of-reality-than/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [“Laughing is the body’s approval of the absurd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/laughing-is-the-body-s-approval-of-the-absurd/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [“Infatuation is measured in pleasure. Love is measured in pain. Behold the value of pain!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/infatuation-is-measured-in-pleasure-love-is-measured-in-pain-behold/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [Race should be seen in one way, and one way only: on your marks, get set, go!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/race-should-be-seen-in-one-way-and-one-way-only-on-your-marks-get-set/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [“From our myopia arose our dystopia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/from-our-myopia-arose-our-dystopia/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [Is it not ignorance that we share? A lie takes two. The truth we find alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/is-it-not-ignorance-that-we-share-a-lie-takes-two-the-truth-we-find/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) > [“Reality is fatal whereas fantasy is something to die for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/reality-is-fatal-whereas-fantasy-is-something-to-die-for/) [Anthony Marais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) [Explore all 27 Anthony Marais quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/) ## More Falcon quotes > [Here's the point - and Jonah Goldberg reminds us of this. He wrote a blog post that was titled "The MacGuffinization of American Politics."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/here-s-the-point-and-jonah-goldberg-reminds-us-of-this-he-wrote-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [If anybody felt worse than I did, it was Amos. I had just enough magic to turn myself into a falcon and him into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/if-anybody-felt-worse-than-i-did-it-was-amos-i-had-just-enough-magic/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Now people are coming up to meet me at my shows and they're doing my bits! One guy earlier was at 7-11 and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-iglesias/now-people-are-coming-up-to-meet-me-at-my-shows-and-they-re-doing-my/) [Gabriel Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-iglesias/) > [“Featherweight by Suzy Kassem One evening, I sat by the ocean and questioned the moon about my destiny. I revealed to it that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/featherweight-by-suzy-kassem-one-evening-i-sat-by-the-ocean-and/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [They still talk about the night that Augie Pabst, a fresh-faced heir to the brewing fortune, drove a rented Falcon into the swimming pool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brock-yates/they-still-talk-about-the-night-that-augie-pabst-a-fresh-faced-heir/) [Brock Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brock-yates/) > [I wanted to fly the Millennium Falcon; I wanted to save the girl. In real life, you can't do all of that: NASA's budget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-faison/i-wanted-to-fly-the-millennium-falcon-i-wanted-to-save-the-girl-in/) [Donald Faison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-faison/) > [Some teams have a nucleus to build around. The Falcons barely have an embryo. So if you see suspicious looking wires running from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-schultz/some-teams-have-a-nucleus-to-build-around-the-falcons-barely-have-an/) [Jeff Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-schultz/) > [A falcon who chases a warlike crane can only hope for a life of pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/a-falcon-who-chases-a-warlike-crane-can-only-hope-for-a-life-of-pain/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Target launch date for Falcon I maiden flight is Halloween(October 31) from our island launch complex in the Kwajalein Atoll. For potential customers out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/target-launch-date-for-falcon-i-maiden-flight-is-halloween-october-31/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [and I circle ten thousand years long; And I still don't know if I'm a falcon, a storm, or an unfinished song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/and-i-circle-ten-thousand-years-long-and-i-still-don-t-know-if-i-m-a/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“If the partridge didn't call at the wrong moment, Neither the hunter nor the falcon would know of it. It follows from this point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahman-baba/if-the-partridge-didn-t-call-at-the-wrong-moment-neither-the-hunter/) [Rahman Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahman-baba/) > [The red rose whispers of passion, And the white rose breathes of love; O, the red rose is a falcon, And the white rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyle-o-reilly/the-red-rose-whispers-of-passion-and-the-white-rose-breathes-of-love/) [John Boyle O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyle-o-reilly/) > [“Call it, 'Slut and the Falcon.' Make us solve crimes!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/call-it-slut-and-the-falcon-make-us-solve-crimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The falcon and the dove sit there together, and the one of them doth prune the other's feather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-drayton/the-falcon-and-the-dove-sit-there-together-and-the-one-of-them-doth/) [Michael Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-drayton/) > [I didn't move. I've learned from years of experience that dogs and falcons and ladies come back to you if you stay where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/i-didn-t-move-i-ve-learned-from-years-of-experience-that-dogs-and/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) [Browse all 98 Falcon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falcon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When hunting a Maltese Falcon, catch it, but don’t scratch it!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Marais" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-but-don-t-scratch-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Falcon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-but-don-t-scratch-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/anthony-marais-22686_falcon_when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-b_3010302.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/anthony-marais-22686_falcon_when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-b_3010302.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/anthony-marais-22686_falcon_when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-b_3010302.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When hunting a Maltese Falcon, catch it, but don’t scratch it!” — Anthony Marais", "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": "Anthony Marais", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marais/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When hunting a Maltese Falcon, catch...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-but-don-t-scratch-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marais/when-hunting-a-maltese-falcon-catch-it-but-don-t-scratch-it/#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 } } ] } ```