--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s all very well to have your eight…" description: "\"“It’s all very well to have your eight suspects parading in their endless ring-around-the-rosebush outside the library. That’s fine. But give some sens..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-dickson-carr-46065_mystery_it-s-all-very-well-to-have-your-eight-su_1934931.jpg" --- # It’s all very well to have your eight suspects parading in… ![“It’s all very well to have your eight suspects parading in their endless ring-around-the-rosebush outside the library. That’s fine. But give some sensible reason why they were there. If you must shower the room with bus tickets, provide a reason for that too. In other words, construct your story…” quote by John Dickson Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-dickson-carr-46065_mystery_it-s-all-very-well-to-have-your-eight-su_1934931.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-dickson-carr-46065_mystery_it-s-all-very-well-to-have-your-eight-su_1934931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f29/john-dickson-carr-46065_mystery_it-s-all-very-well-to-have-your-eight-su_1934931.jpg) > ““It’s all very well to have your eight suspects parading in their endless ring-around-the-rosebush outside the library. That’s fine. But give some sensible reason why they were there. If you must shower the room with bus tickets, provide a reason for that too. In other words, construct your story. Your present problem is not to explain the villainy of the guilty: it’s to explain the stupidity of the innocent.”” [John Dickson Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickson-carr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote stresses that a mystery story must give logical reasons for characters’ presence and actions, not just random oddities. **In simple terms:** Provide plausible motives for every character. Key Takeaway Ensure every element serves the plot. Themes plot mystery character motivation logic storytelling Mood intrigued analytical Type instructional creative When to use this quote - writing a mystery novel - crafting a crime scene - building suspense - editing a script - teaching creative writing Key Concepts causality coherence narrative structure Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance mystery with believable motives? - What details reveal innocence versus guilt? A Different Perspective If you over‑explain, the story can feel forced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Guilty Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty-explain-3050570/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Provide Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provide-reason-1627418/) [Sensible Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensible-reason-3050573/) [Stupidity Innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity-innocent-3050572/) [Villainy Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/villainy-guilty-3050571/) ## Related quotes > [“This parallel form of human automatic action is aptly demonstrated in an experiment by Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer. A well-known principle of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-cialdini/this-parallel-form-of-human-automatic-action-is-aptly-demonstrated-in/) [Robert B. 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What makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/laughter-is-one-of-the-great-beacons-in-life-because-we-don-t-refract/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Anybody can direct a picture once they know the fundamentals. Directing is not a mystery, it's not an art. The main thing about directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ford/anybody-can-direct-a-picture-once-they-know-the-fundamentals/) [John Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ford/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“The mystery of the world is revealed only to the person who can look upon the material world with his physical eyes and simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awdhesh-singh/the-mystery-of-the-world-is-revealed-only-to-the-person-who-can-look/) [Awdhesh Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/awdhesh-singh/) > [“Exactly what the great white eats in an emergency is a mystery ichthyologists solved by the late twentieth century after decades of investigation: whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-capuzzo/exactly-what-the-great-white-eats-in-an-emergency-is-a-mystery/) [Michael Capuzzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-capuzzo/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [“The truth is heavier than a sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/the-truth-is-heavier-than-a-sword/) [Naiyem Chowdhury Rony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/) ## More by John Dickson Carr > [“Alan Campbell opened one eye. From somewhere in remote distances, muffled beyond sight or sound, his soul crawled back painfully, through subterranean corridors, up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickson-carr/alan-campbell-opened-one-eye-from-somewhere-in-remote-distances/) [John Dickson Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickson-carr/) > [“I am a mathematician, sir. I never permit myself to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickson-carr/i-am-a-mathematician-sir-i-never-permit-myself-to-think/) [John Dickson Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickson-carr/) > [“I have committed another crime, Hadley,' he said. 'I have guessed the truth again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickson-carr/i-have-committed-another-crime-hadley-he-said-i-have-guessed-the/) [John Dickson Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickson-carr/) > [“The poor fool hadn't realized that if all mankind shares a folly or an illusion, and likes to share it even knowing what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickson-carr/the-poor-fool-hadn-t-realized-that-if-all-mankind-shares-a-folly-or/) [John Dickson Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickson-carr/) > [“We don't fall in love with a woman because of her good character.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickson-carr/we-don-t-fall-in-love-with-a-woman-because-of-her-good-character/) [John Dickson Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickson-carr/) [Explore all 6 John Dickson Carr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickson-carr/) ## More Mystery quotes > [“The truth is heavier than a sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/the-truth-is-heavier-than-a-sword/) [Naiyem Chowdhury Rony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [“Exactly what the great white eats in an emergency is a mystery ichthyologists solved by the late twentieth century after decades of investigation: whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-capuzzo/exactly-what-the-great-white-eats-in-an-emergency-is-a-mystery/) [Michael Capuzzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-capuzzo/) > [“The mystery of the world is revealed only to the person who can look upon the material world with his physical eyes and simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awdhesh-singh/the-mystery-of-the-world-is-revealed-only-to-the-person-who-can-look/) [Awdhesh Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/awdhesh-singh/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Anybody can direct a picture once they know the fundamentals. Directing is not a mystery, it's not an art. The main thing about directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ford/anybody-can-direct-a-picture-once-they-know-the-fundamentals/) [John Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ford/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Laughter is one of the great beacons in life because we don't refract it by gunning it through our intellectual prism. What makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/laughter-is-one-of-the-great-beacons-in-life-because-we-don-t-refract/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [“Maybe it's better not to know some things. Mysteries make us tick more than just about anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-carter-eaton/maybe-it-s-better-not-to-know-some-things-mysteries-make-us-tick-more/) [Jason Carter Eaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-carter-eaton/) > [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [I'm not a fan of endless mystery in storytelling - I like to know where the mythology's going; I like to get there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/i-m-not-a-fan-of-endless-mystery-in-storytelling-i-like-to-know-where/) [Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) [Browse all 5,330 Mystery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s all very well to have your eight suspects parading in their endless ring-around-the-rosebush outside the library. 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