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As I understand it, your policemen are chosen by their height and weight; they must meet certain requirements as to heft—as thought the only crimes they had to cope with were riots and gang feuds. Bulk—the great American ideal, whether in art, architecture, table d‘hôte meals, or detectives. An entrancin‘ notion.

— S. S. Van Dine The Benson Murder Case (1926)

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More quotes by S. S. Van Dine

Giving full rein to one‘s cynicism as one goes along produces a normal outlet and maintains an emotional equilibrium.

The Bishop Murder Case (1929)

I trust the clergy are not involved in this problem. They‘re notoriously unscientific. One can‘t attack them with mathematics.

The Bishop Murder Case (1929)

“Good God!” he mummered. “I don‘t know what to believe.”
“In that respect,” returned Vance, “you‘re in the same disheartenin‘ predic‘ment as all the philosophers.”

The Benson Murder Case (1926)

Only, as long as we‘re going insane we may as well go the whole way. A mere shred of sanity is of no value.

The Bishop Murder Case (1929)

“Oh, my dear fellow! I’m not indulgin’ in implications. I’m merely givin’ tongue to my youthful curiosity, don’t y’ know.”

The Bishop Murder Case (1929)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: S. S. Van Dine (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.