--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a detective, but nuns could stonewall…" description: "\"“I'm a detective, but nuns could stonewall Sam Spade into an asylum”\" — Dennis Lehane" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/dennis-lehane-1503_noir_i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall_3141332.jpg" --- # I'm a detective, but nuns could stonewall Sam Spade into… ![“I'm a detective, but nuns could stonewall Sam Spade into an asylum” quote by Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/dennis-lehane-1503_noir_i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall_3141332.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/dennis-lehane-1503_noir_i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall_3141332.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/dennis-lehane-1503_noir_i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall_3141332.jpg) > ““I'm a detective, but nuns could stonewall Sam Spade into an asylum”” [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even seasoned investigators can be outmaneuvered by unexpected obstacles, highlighting limits of expertise. **In simple terms:** Even detectives can be blocked by surprising challenges. Key Takeaway Stay adaptable and seek fresh perspectives. Themes investigation limitations unexpected obstacles Mood tense intriguing Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - crime solving - legal proceedings - personal crises Key Concepts cognitive bias institutional inertia psychological barriers Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when expertise is insufficient? - What strategies help break through mental blocks? A Different Perspective Overreliance on experience can blind one to novel solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Detective Nuns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective-nuns-5599136/) [Noir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noir/) [Nuns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuns/) [Nuns Stonewall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuns-stonewall-5599138/) [Sam spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sam-spade/) [Spade Asylum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spade-asylum-5599137/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [“When a child disappears, the space she’d occupied is immediately filled with dozens of people. And these people—relatives, friends, police officers, reporters from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/when-a-child-disappears-the-space-she-d-occupied-is-immediately/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [In Greek tragedy, they fall from great heights. In noir, they fall from the curb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/in-greek-tragedy-they-fall-from-great-heights-in-noir-they-fall-from/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“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/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Dennis Lehane > [He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-depression-felt-like-a-total/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [I held her, he wanted to say, and if I knew for certain that all it would take to hold her again would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-held-her-he-wanted-to-say-and-if-i-knew-for-certain-that-all-it/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Everyone I know lies, breaks their word, and has perfectly legitimate excuses for why they do. Except you. Haven't you ever noticed that? Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/everyone-i-know-lies-breaks-their-word-and-has-perfectly-legitimate/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“If a man was lucky, he was moving toward something his whole life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/if-a-man-was-lucky-he-was-moving-toward-something-his-whole-life/) [dennis lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“After my daughter was born, I'd considered buying a shotgun to ward off potention suitors fourteen or so years up the road. Now, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/after-my-daughter-was-born-i-d-considered-buying-a-shotgun-to-ward/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“I once again felt an odd flush of admiration for my partner's faith in a religion I had long ago abandoned. She doesn't advertise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-once-again-felt-an-odd-flush-of-admiration-for-my-partner-s-faith/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“And she was-definitely-a woman who did not shrink from gauntlets, but stepped up to them, and said, Okay, bring it. Bring your worst. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/and-she-was-definitely-a-woman-who-did-not-shrink-from-gauntlets-but/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Jimmy looked back over at his wife, and Celeste could feel the tenderest of aches in the look. She could feel another teardrop piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/jimmy-looked-back-over-at-his-wife-and-celeste-could-feel-the/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“She told him that he had the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard, that it sounded like whiskey and wood smoke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-told-him-that-he-had-the-most-beautiful-voice-she-d-ever-heard/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [My daughter squealed again and both Bubba and I winced. It’s not an attractive sound, that. It’s high-pitched and it enters your ear canals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/my-daughter-squealed-again-and-both-bubba-and-i-winced-it-s-not-an/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“It’s been a complicated decade for me.” She”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/it-s-been-a-complicated-decade-for-me-she/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“The only people who ask questions like ‘Did he want to be something besides a bartender?’ are people who can become whatever they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/the-only-people-who-ask-questions-like-did-he-want-to-be-something/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“Love, impossible, yet there was no mistaking it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/love-impossible-yet-there-was-no-mistaking-it/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“She blew a stream of smoke up at the empty clotheslines. 'These silly dreams you have when you're young. I mean, what, Katie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-blew-a-stream-of-smoke-up-at-the-empty-clotheslines-these-silly/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“He looked back at the page, got one last glimpse before the match blew itself out. Going to find you today, Andrew. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-looked-back-at-the-page-got-one-last-glimpse-before-the-match-blew/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) [Explore all 231 Dennis Lehane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) ## More Noir quotes > [There were some things that I found I really enjoyed singing about; like, on the title track, there's this film-noir character of a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-krall/there-were-some-things-that-i-found-i-really-enjoyed-singing-about/) [Diana Krall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-krall/) > [Going back to the noir fiction of the 30s, 40s and 50s. It's very contemporary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goldblum/going-back-to-the-noir-fiction-of-the-30s-40s-and-50s-it-s-very/) [Jeff Goldblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goldblum/) > [“IT TOOK a conscious effort for Tallow to keep his hand off his gun as he walked up the apartment building’s stairs. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/it-took-a-conscious-effort-for-tallow-to-keep-his-hand-off-his-gun-as/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) > [“Home? What is home? Home is where a house is that you come back to when the rainy season is about to begin, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/home-what-is-home-home-is-where-a-house-is-that-you-come-back-to-when/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“Sandy’s face was very close to mine in the crowded room. She had a wide mouth and a lot of teeth. She had turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/sandy-s-face-was-very-close-to-mine-in-the-crowded-room-she-had-a/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“And Quirk’s a captain now,” he said. “Captain Quirk?” The motorcycle cop grinned. “Captain Quirk,” he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/and-quirk-s-a-captain-now-he-said-captain-quirk-the-motorcycle-cop/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [I grew up on film noir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/i-grew-up-on-film-noir/) [Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/) > [I am grateful for what I call well-spent moments: Making a tuna fish sandwich with the works. Taking at least a half hour to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/i-am-grateful-for-what-i-call-well-spent-moments-making-a-tuna-fish/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“I ripped all her clothes off. She twisted and turned, slow, so they would slip out from under her. Then she closed her eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-ripped-all-her-clothes-off-she-twisted-and-turned-slow-so-they/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [I think the great unspoken theme in noir fiction is male self-pity. It pervades noir movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-think-the-great-unspoken-theme-in-noir-fiction-is-male-self-pity-it/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“Susan had decided to sit by the pool at the hotel with a copy of a book by Alice Miller called The Drama of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/susan-had-decided-to-sit-by-the-pool-at-the-hotel-with-a-copy-of-a/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“One of the two owners, the man who had been sitting in the front room, was stretched out in there asleep, stockinged-toes pointed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/one-of-the-two-owners-the-man-who-had-been-sitting-in-the-front-room/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“Don't make a career out of underestimating me." — Claire de Haven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/don-t-make-a-career-out-of-underestimating-me-claire-de-haven/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [Noir is where the clarity of moral divisions break down, the black and whites turn into grays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/noir-is-where-the-clarity-of-moral-divisions-break-down-the-black-and/) [Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/) > [Her cooking suggested she had attended the Cordon Noir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/her-cooking-suggested-she-had-attended-the-cordon-noir/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) [Browse all 240 Noir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noir/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I'm a detective, but nuns could stonewall Sam Spade into an asylum”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dennis Lehane" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall-sam-spade-into-an-asylum/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Noir" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall-sam-spade-into-an-asylum/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/dennis-lehane-1503_noir_i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall_3141332.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/dennis-lehane-1503_noir_i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall_3141332.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/dennis-lehane-1503_noir_i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall_3141332.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm a detective, but nuns could stonewall Sam Spade into an asylum” — Dennis Lehane", "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": "Dennis Lehane", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I'm a detective, but nuns could...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall-sam-spade-into-an-asylum/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-m-a-detective-but-nuns-could-stonewall-sam-spade-into-an-asylum/#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 } } ] } ```