“A good title is the title of a successful book.”

“The book was not new. Dates were stamped on the front endpaper, in and out dates. A rent book. A lending library of elaborate smut.I rewrapped the book and locked it up behind the seat. A racket like that, out in the open on the boulevard, seemed to mean plenty of protection. I sat there and poisoned myself with cigarette smoke and listened to the rain and thought about it.”

“As it is she will probably turn out to be one of these acid-faced virgins that sit behind little desks in public libraries and stamp dates in books.”

“A really good detective never gets married.”

“A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.”

“had my books been any worse I would not have been invited to Hollywood and if they had been any better I would not have come.”

“There is no bad whiskey. There are only some whiskeys that aren't as good as others.”