---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is an old maxim of mine that when you…"
description: "\"It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.\" — Arthur Conan Doyle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/arthur-conan-doyle-273_impossible_it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you_181969.jpg"
---

#  It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the…

![“It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” quote by Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/arthur-conan-doyle-273_impossible_it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you_181969.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/arthur-conan-doyle-273_impossible_it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you_181969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/arthur-conan-doyle-273_impossible_it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you_181969.jpg)

> “It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

## About This Quote

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

When all impossible explanations are removed, even a unlikely remaining option must be accepted as true.

**In simple terms:** Eliminate impossibilities, accept the improbable truth.

Key Takeaway

Consider all possibilities before concluding.

Themes

logic investigation reasoning

Mood

analytical curious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- detective work
- scientific research
- problem solving

Key Concepts

deductive reasoning paradox critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports the unlikely option?
- How do you handle uncertainty?

A Different Perspective

Rare events may still be improbable; caution needed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Improbable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improbable/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/how-often-have-i-said-to-you-that-when-you-have-eliminated-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-you-have-eliminated-all-which-is-impossible-then-whatever/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/when-you-eliminate-the-impossible-whatever-remains-however-improbable/)

[Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/)

> [When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-have-eliminated-the-impossible-whatever-remains-however/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“As Sherlock Holmes famously said, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/as-sherlock-holmes-famously-said-when-you-have-eliminated-the/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“What was the Sherlock Holmes principle? ‘Once you have discounted the impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’ ” “I reject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-was-the-sherlock-holmes-principle-once-you-have-discounted-the/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [“When all else has been discarded, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/when-all-else-has-been-discarded-whatever-remains-however-improbable/)

[Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/)

> [“When the impossible is eliminated, whatever remains, however improbable, is the solution ... unless you're mistaken as to just what is and what isn't impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-w-knowles/when-the-impossible-is-eliminated-whatever-remains-however-improbable/)

Thomas W. Knowles

> [. . .the larger the crowd, the more probable that that which it praises is folly, and the more improbable that it is truth;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/the-larger-the-crowd-the-more-probable-that-that-which-it-praises-is/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [Once you've ruled out the impossible then whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth. The problem lay in working out what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/once-you-ve-ruled-out-the-impossible-then-whatever-is-left-however/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/once-you-eliminate-the-impossible-whatever-remains-no-matter-how/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [ “Eliminate the impossible, and what remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth,”\[40\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-p-brazee/eliminate-the-impossible-and-what-remains-no-matter-how-improbable/)

Jonathan P. Brazee

> [Sherlock Holmes observed that once you have eliminated the impossible then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the answer. I, however, do not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/sherlock-holmes-observed-that-once-you-have-eliminated-the-impossible/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [When the impossible has been eliminated, all that remains no matter how improbable is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-the-impossible-has-been-eliminated-all-that-remains-no-matter/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“Once you’ve ruled out the impossible then whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth. The problem lay in working out what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/once-you-ve-ruled-out-the-impossible-then-whatever-is-left-however-2/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## More by Arthur Conan Doyle

> [“shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/shattered-the-bone-and-grazed-the-subclavian-artery-i/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [...it was a huge creature, luminous, ghastly, and spectral. I have cross-examined these men, one of them a hard-headed countryman, one a farrier, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-was-a-huge-creature-luminous-ghastly-and-spectral-i-have-cross/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“A study in scarlet, eh? Why shouldn't we use a little art jargon. There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-study-in-scarlet-eh-why-shouldn-t-we-use-a-little-art-jargon-there/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“Holy men? Holy cabbages! Holy bean-pods! What do they do but live and suck in sustenance and grow fat? If that be holiness, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/holy-men-holy-cabbages-holy-bean-pods-what-do-they-do-but-live-and/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“Wonderful!" I ejaculated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/wonderful-i-ejaculated/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Ex-Professor Moriarty of mathematical celebrity... is the Napoleon of crime, Watson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/ex-professor-moriarty-of-mathematical-celebrity-is-the-napoleon-of/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has the nerve and he has the knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-a-doctor-does-go-wrong-he-is-the-first-of-criminals-he-has-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/how-small-we-feel-with-our-petty-ambitions-and-strivings-in-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [You wish to put me in the dark. I tell you that I will never be put in the dark. You wish to beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/you-wish-to-put-me-in-the-dark-i-tell-you-that-i-will-never-be-put-in/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-he-said-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“It is hard luck on a young fellow to have expensive tastes, great expectations, aristocratic connections but no actual money in his pocket, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-hard-luck-on-a-young-fellow-to-have-expensive-tastes-great/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [“In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/in-the-year-1878-i-took-my-degree-of-doctor-of-medicine-of-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

[Explore all 740 Arthur Conan Doyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

## More Impossible quotes

> [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/)

[Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/)

> [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/)

James Cross Giblin

> [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/)

[Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/)

> [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/)

[Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/)

> [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [every being is unique.god neva creates carbon copies,he alys creates originals.he is truly a creator.he neva repeats.but man goes on living in imitation.we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-being-is-unique-god-neva-creates-carbon-copies-he-alys-creates/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [I've heard from the movie marketplace that James Cameron did such a killer job with 'Titanic' that it's almost impossible to do anything better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-ve-heard-from-the-movie-marketplace-that-james-cameron-did-such-a/)

[Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/)

> [Among the many factors that make a return to halcyon days of the first decades of the postwar era virtually impossible is the decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gilpin/among-the-many-factors-that-make-a-return-to-halcyon-days-of-the/)

[Robert Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gilpin/)

> [Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-davids/ronaldo-is-just-an-athlete-he-works-so-hard-and-back-to-back-he-is/)

[Edgar Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-davids/)

> [In such a diversity it was impossible I should be disposed to melancholy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boone/in-such-a-diversity-it-was-impossible-i-should-be-disposed-to/)

[Daniel Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-boone/)

> [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/)

[Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/)

> [I just like stories about redemption about getting a second chance at life, I think everyone in the world has a few major mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-just-like-stories-about-redemption-about-getting-a-second-chance-at/)

[Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/)

> [It's impossible to know who Donald might have been under different circumstances and with different parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/it-s-impossible-to-know-who-donald-might-have-been-under-different/)

[Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/)

Browse all 7,633 Impossible quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Arthur Conan Doyle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you-have-excluded-the-impossible/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Impossible"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you-have-excluded-the-impossible/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/arthur-conan-doyle-273_impossible_it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you_181969.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/arthur-conan-doyle-273_impossible_it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you_181969.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/arthur-conan-doyle-273_impossible_it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you_181969.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable…” — Arthur Conan Doyle",
                "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": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is an old maxim of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you-have-excluded-the-impossible/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-an-old-maxim-of-mine-that-when-you-have-excluded-the-impossible/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```