--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You always have, I must say, a smooth…" description: "\"“You always have, I must say, a smooth explanation ready.\" \"What do you want me to do? Learn to stutter?”\" — Dashiell Hammett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/dashiell-hammett-3863_stutter_you-always-have-i-must-say-a-smooth-expl_1785434.png" --- # You always have, I must say, a smooth explanation ready."… ![“You always have, I must say, a smooth explanation ready." "What do you want me to do? Learn to stutter?” quote by Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/dashiell-hammett-3863_stutter_you-always-have-i-must-say-a-smooth-expl_1785434.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/dashiell-hammett-3863_stutter_you-always-have-i-must-say-a-smooth-expl_1785434.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/dashiell-hammett-3863_stutter_you-always-have-i-must-say-a-smooth-expl_1785434.png) > ““You always have, I must say, a smooth explanation ready." "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. A character accuses another of always having a ready excuse, then mocks them with a sarcastic suggestion to learn to stutter. **In simple terms:** People often hide behind smooth excuses, then mock others. Key Takeaway Challenge the habit of making excuses. Themes communication sarcasm conflict Mood wry critical Type literary dialogue When to use this quote - personal relationships - professional settings Key Concepts explanation deflection mockery Questions to Reflect On - When do you rely on smooth explanations? - What impact does sarcasm have on dialogue? A Different Perspective Excuses can erode trust and invite ridicule. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready. Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/joel-cairo-you-always-have-a-very-smooth-explanation-ready-sam-spade/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [If we learned to walk and talk the way we learn to read and write, everyone would limp and stutter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-learned-to-walk-and-talk-the-way-we-learn-to-read-and-write/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“In the elderly, that hormone surge can be just as great as in younger people. Says the newspaper. Which might explain why, when Eefje…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/in-the-elderly-that-hormone-surge-can-be-just-as-great-as-in-younger/) [Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/) > [“The enigma of stuttering is profound. For in a moment, you would sound very fluent, and at other times, you would struggle to utter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-enigma-of-stuttering-is-profound-for-in-a-moment-you-would-sound/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“There is more to stuttering than the mere repetition of words and phrases. And more to anxiety than just being nervous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/there-is-more-to-stuttering-than-the-mere-repetition-of-words-and/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [My speech impediment wasn't a stutter but it was dropping several letters that I just could not say for several years, most specifically the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/my-speech-impediment-wasn-t-a-stutter-but-it-was-dropping-several/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [A large part of me becoming a performer was a make-or-break way of getting over that stutter. I sometimes wonder if, subliminally, that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-young/a-large-part-of-me-becoming-a-performer-was-a-make-or-break-way-of/) [Paul Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-young/) > [“While racial minorities across every civilized country in the world are still waiting for their break, our kind (stutterers) became emperors (i.e., Claudius) and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anas-hamshari/while-racial-minorities-across-every-civilized-country-in-the-world/) [Anas Hamshari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anas-hamshari/) > [Young adults living with a stutter is hard work. How do they handle job interviews? What do they do when the phone rings? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-gates/young-adults-living-with-a-stutter-is-hard-work-how-do-they-handle/) [Gareth Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-gates/) > [Liars do look you in the eye. They do not always stutter, stammer, blush or fidget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/liars-do-look-you-in-the-eye-they-do-not-always-stutter-stammer-blush/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [“Beth grimaced. “He is a pompous ass.” “And in dire need of a wealthy wife. Perhaps you should find a twitch to go with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/beth-grimaced-he-is-a-pompous-ass-and-in-dire-need-of-a-wealthy-wife/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [Time becomes a stutter-the space between drumbeats, splintered into fragments, and also endlessly long, as long as soaring guitar notes that melt into one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/time-becomes-a-stutter-the-space-between-drumbeats-splintered-into/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Sometimes you have to stutter step; sometimes you have to spin inside. You have to run some games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-garrett/sometimes-you-have-to-stutter-step-sometimes-you-have-to-spin-inside/) [Myles Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-garrett/) > [You can hear me starting to stutter and slur my words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hunt/you-can-hear-me-starting-to-stutter-and-slur-my-words/) [Mark Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hunt/) > [She speaks with a stutter and she and she walks with a hop. I don't know why I love her, but I just can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/she-speaks-with-a-stutter-and-she-and-she-walks-with-a-hop-i-don-t/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) ## 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 Stutter quotes > [She speaks with a stutter and she and she walks with a hop. I don't know why I love her, but I just can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/she-speaks-with-a-stutter-and-she-and-she-walks-with-a-hop-i-don-t/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [You can hear me starting to stutter and slur my words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hunt/you-can-hear-me-starting-to-stutter-and-slur-my-words/) [Mark Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hunt/) > [Sometimes you have to stutter step; sometimes you have to spin inside. You have to run some games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-garrett/sometimes-you-have-to-stutter-step-sometimes-you-have-to-spin-inside/) [Myles Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-garrett/) > [Time becomes a stutter-the space between drumbeats, splintered into fragments, and also endlessly long, as long as soaring guitar notes that melt into one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/time-becomes-a-stutter-the-space-between-drumbeats-splintered-into/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“Beth grimaced. “He is a pompous ass.” “And in dire need of a wealthy wife. Perhaps you should find a twitch to go with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/beth-grimaced-he-is-a-pompous-ass-and-in-dire-need-of-a-wealthy-wife/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [Liars do look you in the eye. They do not always stutter, stammer, blush or fidget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/liars-do-look-you-in-the-eye-they-do-not-always-stutter-stammer-blush/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [Young adults living with a stutter is hard work. How do they handle job interviews? What do they do when the phone rings? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-gates/young-adults-living-with-a-stutter-is-hard-work-how-do-they-handle/) [Gareth Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-gates/) > [“While racial minorities across every civilized country in the world are still waiting for their break, our kind (stutterers) became emperors (i.e., Claudius) and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anas-hamshari/while-racial-minorities-across-every-civilized-country-in-the-world/) [Anas Hamshari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anas-hamshari/) > [A large part of me becoming a performer was a make-or-break way of getting over that stutter. I sometimes wonder if, subliminally, that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-young/a-large-part-of-me-becoming-a-performer-was-a-make-or-break-way-of/) [Paul Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-young/) > [My speech impediment wasn't a stutter but it was dropping several letters that I just could not say for several years, most specifically the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gorman/my-speech-impediment-wasn-t-a-stutter-but-it-was-dropping-several/) [Amanda Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gorman/) > [“There is more to stuttering than the mere repetition of words and phrases. And more to anxiety than just being nervous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/there-is-more-to-stuttering-than-the-mere-repetition-of-words-and/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“The enigma of stuttering is profound. For in a moment, you would sound very fluent, and at other times, you would struggle to utter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-enigma-of-stuttering-is-profound-for-in-a-moment-you-would-sound/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“In the elderly, that hormone surge can be just as great as in younger people. Says the newspaper. Which might explain why, when Eefje…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-groen/in-the-elderly-that-hormone-surge-can-be-just-as-great-as-in-younger/) [Hendrik Groen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-groen/) > [If we learned to walk and talk the way we learn to read and write, everyone would limp and stutter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-learned-to-walk-and-talk-the-way-we-learn-to-read-and-write/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When I was younger and did a stand-up gig, it would take me two weeks to recover. Sometimes I'd get so panicked that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/when-i-was-younger-and-did-a-stand-up-gig-it-would-take-me-two-weeks/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) Browse all 81 Stutter quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You always have, I must say, a smooth explanation ready.\" \"What do you want me to do? 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