Quotes from Ellery Queen

What is proof?" asked Ellery. "It's merely the clothing of what we already know to be true. Anybody can prove anything, given sufficient will to believe.

Mike, happy cities are all alike, but every unhappy city is unhappy in its own way.

For some seconds he expressed himself with violence and fluency, describing the nature, habits, temperament, and antecedents (probable) of John Marco with a comprehensiveness, lucidity, and imagery that shocked Judge Macklin and caused Ellery's eyes to widen with admiration. "Oh, lovely," said Ellery warmly when Moley perforce paused for breath. "An exquisite object-lesson in invective.

Most crimes are committed by 'criminals'—that is to say, by individuals habituated by environment and repetitious conduct to the pursuit of law-breaking.

But they forget that crime is the criminal's business, and that every business leaves its indelible mark of habit on the business man.

Let's go, then," Ellery said, stopping a sigh. "Shall we go?" the Superintendent asked promptly. And after a few silent moments of walking he said, "That is the communal dining hall." "I know, Superintendent. I ate there this morning. And yesterday. And the day before." The man looked at him glassily. "It is where the community eats," he said. "Ah," said Ellery. "Thank you." What was the use?

He does a work that must be done, and so he justifies his bread. Also, if he and the very few like him who are born to us teach us the love which is difficult, it cannot be said that they were born in vain." The love which is difficult …

In one brief swoop through space from grass-grown clifftop to gray rock in blackened water she achieved the significance that passes for immortality in the modern world of news.

Oh, nonsense," snapped Ellery, honking his klaxon. His face convulsed as he leaned out of the car and yelled to a crowding taxicab with the righteous wrath of all motor-maniacs: "What the hell d'ye think you're doing?

When a man and woman were in love and spent their time kissing and babbling nonsense, they really didn't get to learn much about each other. They came to learn every line in each other's face, every trick of breathing and kissing and sighing – but nothing else, nothing real, nothing on the inside, about which knowledge was paramount.

the quest for the Holy Grail itself is not more beset with difficulties than the merest seeking after one true, unvarnished word.

taboret itself was small and

The young man seated himself at a writing desk, selected a reed pen, fixed its point with a small knife, dipped it in a jar of ink, and wrote on a scrap of paper. There was something arcane, hieratic, about his manner. Scriptorium … Suddenly Ellery realized what it was: with his own eyes, in the century of rocket experimentation and quantum physics, he was actually beholding a scribe at work in the manner of the ancients. In silence he picked up the piece of paper. Sanquetum.

He who would know right must first know wrong!

There's a reason for killing everyone, if you know them well enough.