Quotes from Patricia Cornwell

I refuse to sit on my laurels.

The human capacity to be curious has always existed.

I don't do things that are illegal.

With DNA, the ability to find out a lot more with a lot less has increased our ability for identification.

Botox not only helps with wrinkles, it actually makes you feel more relaxed as frowning causes tension.

The greatest gift is our own eyes, sense of smell, and abilities to deduce.

I find it difficult to attend autopsies. Especially the smells.

I've had people turn up to book signings with knives, with guns.

In the first person, the readers feel smart, like it's them solving the case.

My friends call me Miss Worst Case Scenario.

That's why I think the 'Scarpetta' series has worked so well because people like spending time with this character.

Murder is about power and the more powerful women get the more it will change the good that they do and the bad that they do.

Even if you are a best-seller you feel insecure because it is all so unpredictable.

I like crazy shoes or unusual cowboy boots and I collect big belt buckles.

If everybody, every day, would try to do one thing that pulls them beyond themselves the world will start being a better place.

I wouldn't want to donate my body for scientific study.

First of all, it does not deter crime, the death penalty.

Obviously people read the books in order to be entertained.

But when I was a little kid, I was always writing stories and illustrating little books that I would create.

Even when I am writing I usually take a break around lunchtime and go for a little walk to clear out my head.

I believe the root of all evil is abuse of power.

I didn't invent forensic science and medicine. I just was one of the first people to recognize how interesting it is.

On the last morning of Virginia's bloodiest year since the Civil War, I built a fire and sat facing a window of darkness where at sunrise I knew I would find the sea.

In my forties, my optimism was boundless. I had really good health and tremendous success which allowed me to do anything I wanted.