Here are some of the very best quotes from the man of mystery, Sherlock Holmes.

1. “…when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth…” – Sherlock Holmes

2. “Dear God, what is it like in your funny little brain? It must be so boring!” – Sherlock Holmes

3. “I’m not a psychopath, Anderson. I’m a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research.” – Sherlock Holmes

4. “Anderson, don’t talk out loud. You lower the IQ of the whole street.” – Sherlock Holmes

5. “Don’t make people into heroes, John. Heroes don’t exist and if they did I wouldn’t be one of them.” – Sherlock Holmes

6. “My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don’t know.” – Sherlock Holmes

7. “I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection.” – Sherlock Holmes

8. “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” – Sherlock Holmes 

9. “You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.” – Sherlock Holmes

10. “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” – Sherlock Holmes

11. “I never guess. It is a shocking habit,—destructive to the logical faculty.” – Sherlock Holmes

12. “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.” – Sherlock Holmes

13. “Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.” – Sherlock Holmes

14. “Data! Data! Data! I can’t make bricks without clay.” – Sherlock Holmes

15. “I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for?” – Sherlock Holmes

16. “There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.” – Sherlock Holmes

17. “I ought to know by this time that when a fact appears to be opposed to a long train of deductions it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation.” – Sherlock Holmes

18. “I never make exceptions. An exception disproves the rule.” – Sherlock Holmes

19. “What one man can invent another can discover.” – Sherlock Holmes

20. “The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning.” – Sherlock Holmes

21. “I think that there are certain crimes which the law cannot touch, and which therefore, to some extent, justify private revenge.” – Sherlock Holmes

22. “Having gathered these facts, Watson, I smoked several pipes over them, trying to separate those which were crucial from others which were merely incidental.” – Sherlock Holmes

23. “My mind is like a racing engine, tearing itself to pieces because it is not connected up with the work for which it was built.” – Sherlock Holmes

24. “My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense them with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession,—or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world.” – Sherlock Holmes

25. “When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has the nerve and he has the knowledge.” – Sherlock Holmes

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The Best Mystery Books For When You Want to Be Like Sherlock

Time to get out the magnifying glass and begin sleuthing like Sherlock with these intriguing and mysterious reads.

Mary Russell’s War by Laurie R. King

These nine short stories and one Sherlock Holmes mystery, King divulges Mary Russell’s life adventures spanning from her teenage diaries in 1914 England to her contemplative thoughts at age 92. Follow along with Russell as she tracks German spies through San Francisco, investigates family mysteries, and searches via a series of postcards for her missing husband — Sherlock Holmes.

The Sculthorpe Murder by Karen Charlton

In 1810 Northamptonshire, every local constable is out looking for the ruthless Panther Gang, a vicious mob looking to claim as much of the county as they could. When an elderly man is robbed and murdered, the magistrates send for help from London. When Detective Stephen Lavender and Constable Ned Woods arrive they soon discover that the murdered man’s life and family were clouded in mystery.

Closed Casket by Agatha Christie / Sophie Hannah

When famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard are invited to Lady Athelinda Playford’s party at her Irish mansion, the two are confused. The world’s most beloved children’s author wants them at her party, but why? When they arrive to discover that Lady Playford has decided to cut off her two children from her will and instead leave her entire fortune to an invalid who only has weeks to live. Poirot begins to glean that Lady Playford invited them there because she expects a murder.

Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

Edith Hind, a beautiful graduate student at Cambridge University and daughter of the surgeon to the Royal Family, has gone missing and detective Manon Bradshaw is determined to find her alive. With only a few clues to go off of— a smattering of blood in the kitchen, her keys and phone left behind, the front door ajar but showing no signs of forced entry — Bradshaw is forced to investigate deeper into Edith’s personal life. She begins to worry when she discovers a tangled love life and erratic behavior leading up to her disappearance, knowing that every second that passes is pushing her further away from finding the girl alive.

For more fascinating mystery reads, check out www.mystread.com.