--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth…" description: "\"Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready. Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?\" — Dashiell Hammett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/dashiell-hammett-3863_cairo_joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth_1996292.png" --- # Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation… ![“Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready. Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?” quote by Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/dashiell-hammett-3863_cairo_joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth_1996292.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/dashiell-hammett-3863_cairo_joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth_1996292.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/dashiell-hammett-3863_cairo_joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth_1996292.png) > “Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready. Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?” [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Characters often have polished explanations, while others reveal uncertainty and hesitation. **In simple terms:** People can be smooth or stuttered in speech. Key Takeaway Listen for hidden doubts. Themes communication confidence uncertainty character Mood suspenseful analytical Type literary psychological When to use this quote - detective fiction - public speaking - interpersonal interactions Key Concepts dialogue psychology narrative technique Questions to Reflect On - What does a smooth explanation reveal? - How do you respond to hesitant speech? A Different Perspective Smooth talk may mask deceit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cairo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cairo/) [Do you want me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/do-you-want-me/) [Eloquence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eloquence/) [Explanation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation/) [Explanation Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation-ready-1898274/) [Learn Stutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-stutter-1898271/) [Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready/) [Ready Sam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready-sam-3488476/) [Sam spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sam-spade/) [Smooth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smooth/) [Smooth Explanation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smooth-explanation-1898272/) [Spades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spades/) [Stutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stutter/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-me/) [You want me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-want-me/) ## Related quotes > [“You always have, I must say, a smooth explanation ready." "What do you want me to do? Learn to stutter?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/you-always-have-i-must-say-a-smooth-explanation-ready-what-do-you/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“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/) > [Brigid O'Shaughnessy: “I haven't lived a good life. I've been bad, worse than you could know.” Sam Spade “You know, that's good, because if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/brigid-o-shaughnessy-i-haven-t-lived-a-good-life-i-ve-been-bad-worse/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Brigid: I haven't lived a good life - I've been bad, worse than you could know. Spade: That's good, because if you actually were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/brigid-i-haven-t-lived-a-good-life-i-ve-been-bad-worse-than-you-could/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“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/) > [When a man's partner is killed he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/when-a-man-s-partner-is-killed-he-s-supposed-to-do-something-about-it/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“I hope they don't hang you, precious, by that sweet neck. Yes, angel, I'm gonna send you over. The chances are you'll get off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-hope-they-don-t-hang-you-precious-by-that-sweet-neck-yes-angel-i-m/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Yes,' Spade growled. 'And when you're slapped you'll take it and like it.' He released Cairo's wrist and with a thick open hand struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/yes-spade-growled-and-when-you-re-slapped-you-ll-take-it-and-like-it/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“Sam Spade is as gray as the economic skies over America and moves through the story as cool and slick as a Teflon cat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sullivan/sam-spade-is-as-gray-as-the-economic-skies-over-america-and-moves/) [Stephen Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sullivan/) > [“I brush off my skirt and notice that a small trail of blood runs from a nasty scrape on my knee. I don’t even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-bennett/i-brush-off-my-skirt-and-notice-that-a-small-trail-of-blood-runs-from/) [Jenn Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-bennett/) > [Kinsey Millhone is a female Sam Spade; a thorough professional, a loner, clear-headed and unsentimental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-kallen/kinsey-millhone-is-a-female-sam-spade-a-thorough-professional-a-loner/) [Lucille Kallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-kallen/) > [“You're a good man, sister”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/you-re-a-good-man-sister/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [When wearing a trench coat, you're allowed to act like Humphrey Bogart when he was detective Sam Spade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stone/when-wearing-a-trench-coat-you-re-allowed-to-act-like-humphrey-bogart/) [Roger Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-stone/) > [“Jamie popped a handful of Skittles into his bottle of Grolsch. He took a swig and savoured the tangy sweets shrinking in his mouth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nasser-hashmi/jamie-popped-a-handful-of-skittles-into-his-bottle-of-grolsch-he-took/) [Nasser Hashmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nasser-hashmi/) > [“I'm a detective, but nuns could stonewall Sam Spade into an asylum”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall-sam-spade-into-an-asylum/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) ## More by Dashiell Hammett > [It's sometimes better to pretend I don't hear the sound of somebody in the nearby woods with a shotgun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/it-s-sometimes-better-to-pretend-i-don-t-hear-the-sound-of-somebody/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“This damned burg's getting me. If I don't get away soon I'll be going blood-simple like the natives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/this-damned-burg-s-getting-me-if-i-don-t-get-away-soon-i-ll-be-going/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“You know Quinn?" Macaulay asked me. "Ten minutes ago I was putting him to bed." Macaulay grinned. "I hope you keep his acquaintance like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/you-know-quinn-macaulay-asked-me-ten-minutes-ago-i-was-putting-him-to/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“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/) > [“...I guess I can put two and two together." "Sometimes the answer's four," I said, "and sometimes it's twenty-two...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-guess-i-can-put-two-and-two-together-sometimes-the-answer-s-four-i/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Nora: "How do you feel?" Nick: "Terrible. I must've gone to bed sober.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/nora-how-do-you-feel-nick-terrible-i-must-ve-gone-to-bed-sober/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [A lot of fancier yarns come from people trying to tell the truth. It’s not easy once you’re out of the habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/a-lot-of-fancier-yarns-come-from-people-trying-to-tell-the-truth-it-s/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Three times I have been mistaken for a prohibition agent, but never had any trouble clearing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/three-times-i-have-been-mistaken-for-a-prohibition-agent-but-never/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Listen, Dundy, it's been a long time since I burst into tears because a policeman didn't like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/listen-dundy-it-s-been-a-long-time-since-i-burst-into-tears-because-a/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“...What do people think about my staying with Harrison with him chasing everything that's hot and hollow?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/what-do-people-think-about-my-staying-with-harrison-with-him-chasing/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [“Don't be so damned patronizing. Your performance so far has been a little less than dazzling." "I didn't mean no harm," I said and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/don-t-be-so-damned-patronizing-your-performance-so-far-has-been-a/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [...What disturbed him was the discovery that in sensibly ordering his affairs he had got out of step, and not into step, with Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/what-disturbed-him-was-the-discovery-that-in-sensibly-ordering-his/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [I haven't any sort of plans for the future but I reckon things will work out in some manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-haven-t-any-sort-of-plans-for-the-future-but-i-reckon-things-will/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [To get what he wanted, a man had to give other people what they wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/to-get-what-he-wanted-a-man-had-to-give-other-people-what-they-wanted/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [He felt like somebody had taken the lid off life and let him see the works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/he-felt-like-somebody-had-taken-the-lid-off-life-and-let-him-see-the/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) [Explore all 119 Dashiell Hammett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) ## More Cairo quotes > [Both of these places, Cairo's downtown and Tahrir Square, are in the heart of downtown Cairo. They are places where young people gather to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-fadel/both-of-these-places-cairo-s-downtown-and-tahrir-square-are-in-the/) [Leila Fadel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-fadel/) > [ My contemplation of life and human nature in that secluded place \[cell 54 of Cairo Central Prison\] taught me that he who cannot change… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-sadat/my-contemplation-of-life-and-human-nature-in-that-secluded-place-cell/) [Anwar Sadat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-sadat/) > [An Egyptian newspaper once publicly identified me as the C.I.A. station chief in Cairo. It seemed so stupid at the time. I was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/an-egyptian-newspaper-once-publicly-identified-me-as-the-c-i-a/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [In 1491 the Inka ruled the greatest empire on earth. Bigger than Ming Dynasty China, bigger than Ivan the Great’s expanding Russia, bigger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/in-1491-the-inka-ruled-the-greatest-empire-on-earth-bigger-than-ming/) [Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/) > [I wish I could attribute the absence of any conventional Arab offensive in the last 20 years to a change of political climate or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/i-wish-i-could-attribute-the-absence-of-any-conventional-arab/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Ah, the camel of Cairo! ... He went quietly and comfortably through the narrowest lanes and the densest crowds by the mere force of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-jeannette-duncan/ah-the-camel-of-cairo-he-went-quietly-and-comfortably-through-the/) [Sara Jeannette Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-jeannette-duncan/) > [“Mansour earned the nickname "Al-Turbiny," from the air-conditioned express trains linking Cairo with Egypt's second city Alexandria, whose roofs were the favored location for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/mansour-earned-the-nickname-al-turbiny-from-the-air-conditioned/) [John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/) > [From the streets of Cairo and the Arab Spring, to Occupy Wall Street, from the busy political calendar to the aftermath of the tsunami…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/from-the-streets-of-cairo-and-the-arab-spring-to-occupy-wall-street/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Space is about 100 kilometers away. That’s far away—I wouldn’t want to climb a ladder to get there—but it isn’t that far away. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-munroe/space-is-about-100-kilometers-away-that-s-far-away-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Randall Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-munroe/) > [My mother is from Cairo, Georgia. This makes everything she says sound like it went through a curling iron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/my-mother-is-from-cairo-georgia-this-makes-everything-she-says-sound/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [In Cairo, these young men hanging around in the street, we're told these guys are lazy, they're uneducated, they don't care, they don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/in-cairo-these-young-men-hanging-around-in-the-street-we-re-told/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [“Paris on the Nile’ or the ‘finery of Cairo’, Al-Ismailiya – a district to which Ismael gave his name – comprised large, wide avenues,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/paris-on-the-nile-or-the-finery-of-cairo-al-ismailiya-a-district-to/) [Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/) > [The other thing that troubled me: Dad was clutching his workbag. Usually when he does that, it means we're in danger. Like the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/the-other-thing-that-troubled-me-dad-was-clutching-his-workbag/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Each new Clarice, compact as a living body with its smells and its breath, shows off, like a gem, what remains of the ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/each-new-clarice-compact-as-a-living-body-with-its-smells-and-its/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [I loved the Four Seasons in Cairo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-schofield/i-loved-the-four-seasons-in-cairo/) [Phillip Schofield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-schofield/) [Browse all 62 Cairo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cairo/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready. Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dashiell Hammett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth-explanation-ready-sam-spade/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cairo" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth-explanation-ready-sam-spade/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/dashiell-hammett-3863_cairo_joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth_1996292.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/dashiell-hammett-3863_cairo_joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth_1996292.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/dashiell-hammett-3863_cairo_joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth_1996292.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready. Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to…” — Dashiell Hammett", "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": "Dashiell Hammett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Joel Cairo: You always have a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth-explanation-ready-sam-spade/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth-explanation-ready-sam-spade/#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 } } ] } ```