--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An accident is only a puzzle piece that…" description: "\"“An accident is only a puzzle piece that hasn’t yet found its place in the picture. A good detective collects all ‘accidents,’ no matter how insignific..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/douglas-preston-7731_accident_an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that_2894015.jpg" --- # An accident is only a puzzle piece that hasn’t yet found… ![“An accident is only a puzzle piece that hasn’t yet found its place in the picture. A good detective collects all ‘accidents,’ no matter how insignificant.” quote by Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/douglas-preston-7731_accident_an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that_2894015.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/douglas-preston-7731_accident_an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that_2894015.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/douglas-preston-7731_accident_an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that_2894015.jpg) > ““An accident is only a puzzle piece that hasn’t yet found its place in the picture. A good detective collects all ‘accidents,’ no matter how insignificant.”” [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Accidents are clues that must be examined to solve larger mysteries. **In simple terms:** Small events reveal bigger truths. Key Takeaway Investigate all details. Themes investigation logic puzzle Mood analytical curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - crime solving - research projects - problem solving Key Concepts critical thinking pattern recognition deduction Questions to Reflect On - What seemingly minor detail could be crucial? - How do you prioritize evidence? A Different Perspective Focusing on trivialities can distract from core issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) [Accident Puzzle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident-puzzle-4078763/) [Accidents Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents-matter-4078764/) [Collects Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collects-accidents-4078765/) [Good Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-detective-2993575/) [Puzzle piece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzle-piece/) ## Related quotes > [“Yes, Manda. You’re becoming a good detective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-keene/yes-manda-you-re-becoming-a-good-detective/) [Carolyn Keene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-keene/) > [I always thought if I wasn't an actor, I might make quite a good detective - mainly because I'm nosey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamzin-outhwaite/i-always-thought-if-i-wasn-t-an-actor-i-might-make-quite-a-good/) [Tamzin Outhwaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamzin-outhwaite/) > [I feel like I'm a real good detective. I feel like I know who's got my best interest at heart and who doesn't, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lainey-wilson/i-feel-like-i-m-a-real-good-detective-i-feel-like-i-know-who-s-got-my/) [Lainey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lainey-wilson/) > [“Halvorsen remembered Harry had once said that what separates a good detective from a mediocre one is the ability to forget. A good detective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/halvorsen-remembered-harry-had-once-said-that-what-separates-a-good/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“I like a good detective story," he said. "But, you know, they begin in the wrong place! They begin with the murder. But the murder is the end. The  story begins long before that—years before sometimes with all the causes and events that bring certain people to a certain place at a certain time on a certain day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-like-a-good-detective-story-he-said-but-you-know-they-begin-in-the/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“Firstly,” Jackaby said with a sigh, “a ‘proper detective’ is about the last thing a good detective wants to look like, most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ritter/firstly-jackaby-said-with-a-sigh-a-proper-detective-is-about-the-last/) [William Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ritter/) > [A really good detective never gets married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-really-good-detective-never-gets-married/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [To be a good detective you must also think like a crook, an immoral, unethical or unlawful person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/to-be-a-good-detective-you-must-also-think-like-a-crook-an-immoral/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [“I came across a man in Belgium once, a very famous detective, and he quite inflamed me. He was a marvellous little fellow. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-came-across-a-man-in-belgium-once-a-very-famous-detective-and-he/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [I think Morse's thing about being a poor policeman but a good detective is a very good description of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thaw/i-think-morse-s-thing-about-being-a-poor-policeman-but-a-good/) [John Thaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thaw/) > [A lot of my songs, they're like puzzle pieces, and there's just one way to put them together. You could, if you needed to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-adams/a-lot-of-my-songs-they-re-like-puzzle-pieces-and-there-s-just-one-way/) [Ryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-adams/) > [I have moments like that alot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/i-have-moments-like-that-alot-when-my-brain-falls-asleep-or-something/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“His arm wrapped around her back in a way that was instinctual for him now. She was a puzzle piece, fitting into his side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-p-ching/his-arm-wrapped-around-her-back-in-a-way-that-was-instinctual-for-him/) [G.P. Ching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-p-ching/) > [I like to think of my son as having an extra puzzle piece rather than missing one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-duncan/i-like-to-think-of-my-son-as-having-an-extra-puzzle-piece-rather-than/) [Stuart Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-duncan/) > [God has a purpose for us. If he didn't we wouldn't be alive in the first place. We have a calling. We are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-janssen/god-has-a-purpose-for-us-if-he-didn-t-we-wouldn-t-be-alive-in-the/) [Kenny Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-janssen/) ## More by Douglas Preston > [“The Tyrannosaurus rex was a creature of the jungle. She lived in the deepest forests and swamps of North America, not long after it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/the-tyrannosaurus-rex-was-a-creature-of-the-jungle-she-lived-in-the/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“William Duncan Strong was a scholar, a man ahead of his time: quiet, careful and meticulous in his work, averse to spectacle and publicity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/william-duncan-strong-was-a-scholar-a-man-ahead-of-his-time-quiet/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [I need to write in a small room - the smaller the better. I can't write in a big room where someone might sneak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/i-need-to-write-in-a-small-room-the-smaller-the-better-i-can-t-write/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“Global warming has opened the southern door of the United States not just to leish but to many other diseases. The big ones now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/global-warming-has-opened-the-southern-door-of-the-united-states-not/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“Boxer altered his course subtly, as if that was the way he'd already been going, not looking up to acknowledge he had heard, letting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/boxer-altered-his-course-subtly-as-if-that-was-the-way-he-d-already/) [douglas preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“A strange, pale figure emerged—Pendergast?—and she felt herself suddenly in his arms, lifted bodily as if she were a child again, her head cradled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/a-strange-pale-figure-emerged-pendergast-and-she-felt-herself/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [I'm pretty much a 9-to-5 kind of guy. I usually get to work about 8 in the morning, and I work until 4 or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/i-m-pretty-much-a-9-to-5-kind-of-guy-i-usually-get-to-work-about-8-in/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“People need history in order to know themselves, to build a sense of identity and pride, continuity, community, and hope for the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/people-need-history-in-order-to-know-themselves-to-build-a-sense-of/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“When the team excavated, they uncovered the shattered ruins of a fortress, over fifteen centuries old, with massive walls and eight towers, matching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/when-the-team-excavated-they-uncovered-the-shattered-ruins-of-a/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [There are so many journalists out there, I hate to say it, who are lazy and don't do their research - and it shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/there-are-so-many-journalists-out-there-i-hate-to-say-it-who-are-lazy/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“What the hell was your pal Bertin demanding?” he asked. “Sipping syrup?” “It’s a cocktail he prefers when he gets, ah, overly excited.” “A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/what-the-hell-was-your-pal-bertin-demanding-he-asked-sipping-syrup-it/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“No civilization has survived forever. All move toward dissolution, one after the other, like waves of the sea falling upon the shore. None, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/no-civilization-has-survived-forever-all-move-toward-dissolution-one/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“She’s more a daiquiri and margarita drinker.”“We all have our flaws,” said Pendergast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/she-s-more-a-daiquiri-and-margarita-drinker-we-all-have-our-flaws/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [Pirate Hunters is a fantastic book, an utterly engrossing and satisfying read. It tells the story of the hunt for the rare wreck of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/pirate-hunters-is-a-fantastic-book-an-utterly-engrossing-and/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [“Religion arose as an effort to explicate the inexplicable, control the uncontrollable, make bearable the unbearable. Belief in a higher power became the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/religion-arose-as-an-effort-to-explicate-the-inexplicable-control-the/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) [Explore all 80 Douglas Preston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) ## More Accident quotes > [Fame, we may understand, is no sure test of merit, but only a probability of such: it is an accident, not a property, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/fame-we-may-understand-is-no-sure-test-of-merit-but-only-a/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [“The accident in your rearview mirror already happened. The one in front of you is still preventable. Pay attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nakia-r-laushaul/the-accident-in-your-rearview-mirror-already-happened-the-one-in/) [Nakia R. Laushaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nakia-r-laushaul/) > [People dont get married by accident and they dont get divorced by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/people-dont-get-married-by-accident-and-they-dont-get-divorced-by/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) > [My father had Parkinson's, though he actually died following a bicycle accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/my-father-had-parkinson-s-though-he-actually-died-following-a-bicycle/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [A tragic car accident put me in a wheelchair and dashed my hopes and dreams for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/a-tragic-car-accident-put-me-in-a-wheelchair-and-dashed-my-hopes-and/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [The spirit in the body is like wine in a glass; when it spills, it seeps into air and earth and light….It’s a mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-michaels/the-spirit-in-the-body-is-like-wine-in-a-glass-when-it-spills-it/) [Anne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-michaels/) > [accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/accident-ruled-every-corner-of-the-universe-except-the-chambers-of/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [There is a French expression that says: to be exposed to an accident, to cross a street without looking at the cars means exposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/there-is-a-french-expression-that-says-to-be-exposed-to-an-accident/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-just-got-out-of-the-hospital-i-was-in-a-speed-reading-accident-i/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [However, I met with a horrible accident while riding my bike in Sangla Valley. The accident was a wakeup call for me stop getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhinav-shukla/however-i-met-with-a-horrible-accident-while-riding-my-bike-in-sangla/) [Abhinav Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhinav-shukla/) > [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 922 Accident quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“An accident is only a puzzle piece that hasn’t yet found its place in the picture. A good detective collects all ‘accidents,’ no matter how insignificant.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Preston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that-hasn-t-yet-found-its-place-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accident" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that-hasn-t-yet-found-its-place-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/douglas-preston-7731_accident_an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that_2894015.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/douglas-preston-7731_accident_an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that_2894015.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/666/douglas-preston-7731_accident_an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that_2894015.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An accident is only a puzzle piece that hasn’t yet found its place in the picture. A good detective collects…” — Douglas Preston", "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": "Douglas Preston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“An accident is only a puzzle...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that-hasn-t-yet-found-its-place-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/an-accident-is-only-a-puzzle-piece-that-hasn-t-yet-found-its-place-in/#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 } } ] } ```