Classic Quotes by Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) US writer
A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.
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A really good detective never gets married.
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Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.
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Alcohol is like love. The first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third is routine. After that you take the girl's clothes off.
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At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed, must seem to be inevitable.
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Chess is as elaborate a waste of human intelligence as you can find outside an advertising agency.
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Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little away from his need or desire to write at all. In the end he knows all the tricks and has nothing to say.
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From 30 feet away she looked like a lot of class. From 10 feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from 30 feet away.
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He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.