--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Detective work is ninety-nine percent…" description: "\"“Detective work is ninety-nine percent boring and one percent the kind of excitement no one should ever experience.”\" — Marshall Thornton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/marshall-thornton-2247_quote_detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-bo_2157821.jpg" --- # Detective work is ninety-nine percent boring and one… ![“Detective work is ninety-nine percent boring and one percent the kind of excitement no one should ever experience.” quote by Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/marshall-thornton-2247_quote_detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-bo_2157821.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/marshall-thornton-2247_quote_detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-bo_2157821.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/marshall-thornton-2247_quote_detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-bo_2157821.jpg) > ““Detective work is ninety-nine percent boring and one percent the kind of excitement no one should ever experience.”” [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Detective work is largely tedious, with rare moments of true excitement. **In simple terms:** Most detective work is boring. Key Takeaway Expect routine, cherish rare thrills. Themes investigation monotony excitement Mood reflective analytical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - crime solving - research - field work Key Concepts routine tasks rare breakthroughs Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay motivated during monotony? - What defines true excitement for you? A Different Perspective Excitement may be overstated, leading to disappointment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boring Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boring-percent-4564853/) [Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) [Detective work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective-work/) [Ninety percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ninety-percent/) [Percent Boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent-boring-4564852/) ## Related quotes > [I wanted to be a police detective. In my work, particularly in documentaries, I am obsessed with finding things out, seeking ever-new facts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsh/i-wanted-to-be-a-police-detective-in-my-work-particularly-in/) [James Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsh/) > [“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/) > [The best crime novels are not about how a detective works on a case; they are about how a case works on a detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/the-best-crime-novels-are-not-about-how-a-detective-works-on-a-case/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [I hate that people are trying to detective work into my past, it bothers me... But it's, whatever, I haven't got anything to hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-hate-that-people-are-trying-to-detective-work-into-my-past-it/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains," he remarked with a smile. "It's a very bad definition, but it does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/they-say-that-genius-is-an-infinite-capacity-for-taking-pains-he/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“I'd been trained in the art of psychotherapy, the excavation of the past as a means of untangling the present and rendering it livable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kellerman/i-d-been-trained-in-the-art-of-psychotherapy-the-excavation-of-the/) [Jonathan Kellerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kellerman/) > [“The practice of guessing so obviously fails in detective work that it’s almost shocking that we guess when we have important problems to solve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/the-practice-of-guessing-so-obviously-fails-in-detective-work-that-it/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [As a biographer, I try to uncover the adventures and personalities behind each character I research. Once my character and I have reached an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-fritz/as-a-biographer-i-try-to-uncover-the-adventures-and-personalities/) [Jean Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-fritz/) > [Anything is easy to the man who sees… The open eye of the open mind--that has more to do with real detective work than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-hopkins-adams/anything-is-easy-to-the-man-who-sees-the-open-eye-of-the-open-mind/) [Samuel Hopkins Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-hopkins-adams/) > [“If you do not know your purpose, you have detective work to do. 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"Opposition research"? You want to do the detective work on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ponsoldt/you-just-work-really-hard-and-scrutinize-what-is-it-called-in/) [James Ponsoldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ponsoldt/) > [Chuckling to herself, Nancy said aloud, "Romance and detective work won't mix tonight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-keene/chuckling-to-herself-nancy-said-aloud-romance-and-detective-work-won/) [Carolyn Keene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-keene/) > [Writing a novel was like I had some Play-Doh to work with and could just keep working with it - doing a million drafts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/writing-a-novel-was-like-i-had-some-play-doh-to-work-with-and-could/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) ## More by Marshall Thornton > [“These days you don't need a country to have a flag, you don't need to win an election to become president, and you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/these-days-you-don-t-need-a-country-to-have-a-flag-you-don-t-need-to/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“ The Ten Commandments As Interpreted by Robin Palmetier 1. Don’t lie. Unless it’s to the police. 2. Don’t cheat your customers. Robin always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/the-ten-commandments-as-interpreted-by-robin-palmetier-1-don-t-lie/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“That was the problem with good friends. Eventually they knew enough about you to say terrible things for your own good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/that-was-the-problem-with-good-friends-eventually-they-knew-enough/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“You live your life like it's some kind of nuclear fallout shelter. The walls are three feet thick, you have enough food to last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/you-live-your-life-like-it-s-some-kind-of-nuclear-fallout-shelter-the/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“So are you doing anything for your anniversary? I mean other than sitting around your backyard with a bottle of wine moping over lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/so-are-you-doing-anything-for-your-anniversary-i-mean-other-than/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“My wife threatened to divorce me if I don't lose ten pounds." Given that he could easily lose forty I figured she was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/my-wife-threatened-to-divorce-me-if-i-don-t-lose-ten-pounds-given/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“Some things were meaner if you said them calmly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/some-things-were-meaner-if-you-said-them-calmly/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“So help me, Mac, if you manage to kill me I will ruin your eternity. You will be the most miserable man to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/so-help-me-mac-if-you-manage-to-kill-me-i-will-ruin-your-eternity-you/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“Um…you’re four blocks away. Why can’t you walk?” “I’m naked.” Sometimes the truth was like a band-aid in need of removal; one had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/um-you-re-four-blocks-away-why-can-t-you-walk-i-m-naked-sometimes-the/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“It was simply against his makeup.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/it-was-simply-against-his-makeup/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“I'm not sure I should tell you. Not while you're alive, at least. Some things are better left for after death." (Mac)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/i-m-not-sure-i-should-tell-you-not-while-you-re-alive-at-least-some/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“Vincent inhaled sharply and mumbled something like "oh my God". I wasn't sure what he was oh-my-God-ing about since he was still struggling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/vincent-inhaled-sharply-and-mumbled-something-like-oh-my-god-i-wasn-t/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“Everyone lies. They lie to the people they love; they lie to themselves. Once you admit it, it's not such a hard thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/everyone-lies-they-lie-to-the-people-they-love-they-lie-to-themselves/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“I was staring down thirty-five in a few months. While I might have thought forty was old when I was her age, I’d since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/i-was-staring-down-thirty-five-in-a-few-months-while-i-might-have/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“If you look out for the sunny side of the street, the sunny side of the street will look out for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/if-you-look-out-for-the-sunny-side-of-the-street-the-sunny-side-of/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) [Explore all 176 Marshall Thornton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) ## More Detective quotes > [“When I saw the Twilight movies I thought being a Vampyre was so romantic. When my friends decided to be Vampyres it was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abramelin-keldor/when-i-saw-the-twilight-movies-i-thought-being-a-vampyre-was-so/) [Abramelin Keldor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abramelin-keldor/) > [The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. 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New York City is itself a detective story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-is-ridiculous-to-set-a-detective-story-in-new-york-city-new-york/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [Arthur Conan Doyle was entranced by the notion of a brilliant detective who can deduce everything a stranger has been up to from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-yglesias/arthur-conan-doyle-was-entranced-by-the-notion-of-a-brilliant/) [Rafael Yglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-yglesias/) > [Detective, I don't know where the boyfriend is, really," I said. And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/detective-i-don-t-know-where-the-boyfriend-is-really-i-said-and-it/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [What the detective story is about is not murder but the restoration of order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/what-the-detective-story-is-about-is-not-murder-but-the-restoration/) [P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/) > [Sure, I'll have characters drop in and out of books but the main cast of characters always changes. Maybe I'm wrong but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/sure-i-ll-have-characters-drop-in-and-out-of-books-but-the-main-cast/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) > [Johannes Cabal would kill me for saying this, but he's my favorite Zeppelin-hopping detective. 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You're trying to stop the reader from solving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bollen/you-find-when-you-re-writing-a-detective-story-that-you-re-actually/) [Christopher Bollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bollen/) [Browse all 482 Detective quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Detective work is ninety-nine percent boring and one percent the kind of excitement no one should ever experience.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marshall Thornton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-boring-and-one-percent-the-kind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Detective" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-boring-and-one-percent-the-kind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/marshall-thornton-2247_quote_detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-bo_2157821.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/marshall-thornton-2247_quote_detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-bo_2157821.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fc/marshall-thornton-2247_quote_detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-bo_2157821.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Detective work is ninety-nine percent boring and one percent the kind of excitement no one should ever…” — Marshall Thornton", "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": "Marshall Thornton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Detective work is ninety-nine percent boring...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-boring-and-one-percent-the-kind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/detective-work-is-ninety-nine-percent-boring-and-one-percent-the-kind/#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 } } ] } ```