The Randomness of Goodreads Members discussion

I am reading the cannon in a group on FB. In order, then discussing.
I am going to start quoting Holmes. Please join in.

"They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains."

“My mind rebels at stagnation,” he once declared. “That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world.”

“You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.”

" You could not possibly have come at a better time, my dear Watson," he said cordially.

"The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning."

“Dear God. What is it like in your funny little brains? It must be so boring.”

"I listen to their story, they listen to my comments, and then I pocket my fee."

dave wrote: ""I listen to their story, they listen to my comments, and then I pocket my fee.""
Dave, do we not wish we were he?

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."

lol yes janet, absolutely.

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important."

'Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.'

What one man can invent another can discover.

'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.'

i confess that i have been blind as a mole, but it is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all

'I think that there are certain crimes which the law cannot touch, and which therefore, to some extent, justify private revenge.'

thats a good one :)

the world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.

'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.'

"My mind," he said, "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 then 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."

My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don't know

article on Benedict Cumberbatch....

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/20...

Perkinsmike wrote: "article on Benedict Cumberbatch....

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/20..."

Thanks for this. I am a big BC fan and well enjoy his Sherlock.
Please post more often.

'I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routine of everyday life.'

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

"Let me run over the principal steps. We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind, which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations."

"Come, Watson, come!" he cried. "The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!"

"Data! Data! Data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay."

what one man can invent another can discover

'I confess that I have been blind as a mole, but it is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all.'

There is nothing like first-hand evidence

'The emotional qualities are atagonistic to clear reasoning.'

i like that one janet, nice.

'It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.'

“A man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.”

'I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands on it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend uon it - there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.'

"Any truth is better than indefinite doubt."

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.

@Dave, brilliant choice. All scientists should have this as a sign over their desk/lab area. In fact, we could all benefit from such a sign as a daily reminder. Cheers

As well as Karl Popper's falsification principle, i.e also attempt to disprove one's thesis to see if can stand that test. This also helps counter a normal bit of human psychology: confirmation bias.

@perkinsmike: Excellent point

Hello folks,
Sorry that I have been less than timely with contributions. All the usual excuses apply, choose the one you want.
I'll play a little catch up later but for now:

'I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection.'

Read the above. Then here's the quote.

"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
"To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time."
"The dog did nothing in the night-time."
"That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes.

Thank you, Janet, for these quotes. I particularly envy the brilliance of the first one. Cheers, Ardith

I am reading the canon with a Facebook group and they provide a link to read each story/novel online. We have completed The Adventures of Sherlock and have just started The Memoirs of Sherlock. Glad you are enjoying the quotes.

Any truth is better than indefinite doubt.

"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."

You've sighted two brilliant quotes here, Janet. Hope you are enjoying the weekend. Ardith

I am afraid that I rather give myself away when I explain.

Ajl wrote: "You've sighted two brilliant quotes here, Janet. Hope you are enjoying the weekend. Ardith"

You also. And I enjoy your comments.

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data." It's interesting that this quote, or some variation thereof, appears in at least three Holmes stories: A Study in Scarlet, A Scandal in Bohemia, and The Adventure of the Second Stain. Because of this forum, it stood out to me when I watched this old Jeremy Brett episode last night....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_tLx...

Ugh, I apologize to the group for using "sighted" instead of "cited." Yikes.

"We must begin in Baker Street; and best of all, if possible, let it be a stormy winter morning when Holmes routs Watson out of bed in haste. The doctor wakes to see that tall, ascetic figure by the bedside with a candle. "Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot!"

-Christopher Morley, preface to "The Complete Sherlock Holmes"