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Ben Aaronovitch Quotes

born 1964 England

Ben Dylan Aaronovitch (born February 1964) is an English author and screenwriter.

England
Novelists
Science fiction authors
Screenwriters

Random Ben Aaronovitch quote

154 quotes

This is what’s known as operational flexibility, and definitely not making it up as you go along.

Amongst our Weapons (2022)

“Peter,” said Tyburn. “I need you to stop just pretending to be clever and actually be clever.”

The Hanging Tree (2016)

If you run everywhere you miss stuff that you might have been better off noticing—just saying.

What Abigail did that Summer (2021)

“Police work,” said Stefan, “is ninety per cent paperwork, nine per cent bullshit and one per cent horror.”

The October Man (2019)

Have you noticed that about journalists—all they really want to talk about is themselves.

Moon Over Soho (2011)

Policing is about moving from the unknown to the known and then further—to the provable.

False Value (2020)

It’s a police rule of thumb that anything involving members of the public takes twice as long as you think it will.

Tales from the Folly (2020)

There we continued the time-honored tradition of brazenly lying through our teeth while telling nothing but the truth.

Rivers of London (2011)

Low sample size—one of the reasons why magic and science are hard to reconcile.

Whispers Under Ground (2012)

Foxholes might breed belief, but trench systems are full of fatalistic cynics.

Lies Sleeping (2018)

You make a plan without intelligence—you might as well not have a plan at all.

What Abigail did that Summer (2021)

For police officers, “close relative” frequently rhymes with “prime suspect.”

The Hanging Tree (2016)

In home furnishing terms, past a certain point, more money doesn’t get you anything except an increase in insurance premiums.

The Hanging Tree (2016)

The main purpose of an administrative meeting is to establish collective guilt for whatever fuck-up arises out of its decisions.

The Hanging Tree (2016)

One of the advantages of being the police is that when you want to buy something slightly dodgy, you generally know where to shop.

Foxglove Summer (2014)

And what they don’t want you to know, you definitely want to know.

False Value (2020)

It’s a police mantra that all members of the public are guilty of something, but some members of the public are more guilty than others.

Broken Homes (2013)

You see, the trouble with detectives is that they’re detectives and are literally trained not to believe anything they haven’t verified themselves.

The Furthest Station (2017)

Nobody likes a riot except looters and journalists.

Rivers of London (2011)

When you’re a musician free is a magic number.

Moon Over Soho (2011)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Ben Aaronovitch (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.