Quotes from Agatha Christie

She went out of the window again. Griselda turned to Miss Marple. "Why did you step on my foot?" The old lady was smiling. "I thought you were going to say something, my dear. And it is often so much better to let things develop on their own lines. I don't think, you know, that that child is half so vague as she pretends to be. She's got a very definite idea in her head and she's acting upon it.

A co jest nie tak z moj? propozycj?? (...) - Prosz? wybaczy? t? osobist? uwag?: nie podoba mi si? pa?ska twarz (...)

Prego, mio caro; ci si può sempre ingannare. Guardi una grande attrice: la sua mimica del dolore commuove e scuote, tanto è vera.

Poirot drew himself up in an important manner.

A plump girl, slightly out of breath, with dark hair, rosy cheeks and dark eyes goggling with excitement, bounced in.

He used deliberation as others use quickness of repartee.

Une qui aime et un qui se laisse aimer.

Yes, my friend—it is odd—and laughable—and terrible! I, who do not approve of murder—I, who value human life—have ended my career by committing murder.

But his face should really inspire you with confidence, my dear lady. No self-respecting murderer would ever consent to look like one. Crippen now, I believe was one of the pleasantest fellows imaginable.

Poirot said gravely: "He is not very rapid, the good Battle. He gets there slowly, but he does get there in the end, madame.

But I did really want to know. I mean, it's interesting, don't you think, to know all about people? What they feel and think, I mean, not just who they are and what they do.

There were also American visitors fascinated by seeing the titled English really getting down to their traditional afternoon tea.

I must have a talk with you, David, and learn all the new ideas. As far as I can see, one must hate everybody but at the same time give them free medical attention and a lot of extra education, poor things! All those helpless little children herded into schoolhouses every day—and cod liver oil forced down babies' throats whether they like it or not—such nasty-smelling stuff.

Subdue your melodramatic fancies", said Tommy.

I think it was just before half past ten.

The fact that her breakfast had been excellently cooked and served, with good coffee and homemade marmalade, in a curious way annoyed her still more. It had deprived her of a legitimate cause of complaint. Her bed, too, had been comfortable, with embroidered sheets and a soft pillow. Mrs. Boyle liked comfort, but she also liked to find fault. The latter was, perhaps, the stronger passion of the two.

There was a little pause—and in it a wave of horror seemed to float round the room. I think it was at that moment that I first believed Dr. Reilly's theory to be right. I felt that the murderer was in the room. Sitting with us—listening. One of us . .

She sipped once more.

It's frightening, you know, how soon money goes if you're not clever about it.

It's certainly not a matter of life or death," agreed Mrs. Otterbourne. But there she was quite wrong—for a matter of life and death was exactly what it was.

Little by little the head emerged, preserved by the sludge for about 2,500 years. There it was–the biggest ivory head ever found: a soft, pale brownish colour, the hair black, the faintly coloured lips with the enigmatic smile of one of the maidens of the Akropolis. The Lady of the Well–the Mona Lisa, as the Iraqi Director of Antiquities insisted on calling her–she has her place now in the new museum at Baghdad: one of the most exciting things ever to be found. There

Man is an unoriginal animal. Unoriginal within the law in his daily respectable life, equally unoriginal outside the law.

We're very catholic in our tastes," said Mrs. Allerton. "You drink wine always; Tim drinks whisky and soda, and I try all the different brands of mineral water in turn.

Thank you, mon ami, I should be delighted to do so. You include Hastings in your invitation, I hope? Japp grinned. What do you think? Where the master goes, there the dog follows...