Show Holmes a drop of water and he would deduce the existence of the Atlantic. Show it to me and I would look for a tap. That was the difference between us.

~ Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz Brains Deduction Genius Intelligence Mental Power Sherlock Holmes

For the first time in a very many years, he felt the old vexation, the mingled impatience and pleasure at the world's beautiful refusal to yield up its mysteries without a fight.

~ Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon Deduction Mystery Sherlock Holmes

It was quite elementary,' returned the detective with a languid gesture of one hand.

~ Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz Deduction Detective Elemenary Holmes House Of Silk Mystery Sherlock Watson

You look at me as if I were a conjuror,' Holmes remarked, with a laugh.

~ Anthony Horowitz

Anthony Horowitz Deduction Detective Holmes London Mycroft Mystery Sherlock Watson

Emotional speculation is to deductive reasoning what weeds are to a garden – at first sight they appear to belong, but eventually they obscure that which one hopes will come into bud.

~ Lord Patterson Coats

Lord Patterson Coats Crime Deduction Murder Mystery

The sensible man,' Crow had said (to Sherlock Holmes), 'don't look to confirm what he already knows -- he looks to deny it. Finding evidence that backs up your theories ain't useful, but finding evidence that your theories are wrong is priceless. Never try to prove yourself right -- always try to prove yourself wrong instead.

~ Andy Lane

Andy Lane Deduction Evidence Logic Logical Thinking Prove Reason Reasoning

How careless of me! By which she meant that she had deduced that he had found [them] in his pocket and pitied him for needing to be forever in the right.

~ Tom Holt

Tom Holt Coded Speech Deduction Need To Be Right Pitychological Problem Sarcasm

All people, whether Aspie or neuro-typical are predisposed by their society to make guesses, jump to conclusions and then seek to defend those conclusions, regardless of logic or changing circumstance. This is sloppy, illogical thinking which may not hinder your life too much, under normal circumstances. But if you want to be a great detective, then such thinking will absolutely ruin your chances.

~ Alexei Maxim Russell

Alexei Maxim Russell Asperger Aspergers Aspergers Syndrome Autism Autism Spectrum Deduction Detective Detectives Guess Guessing Logic Reasoning

Logical reasoning may be a most convenient means of mental communication for covering short distances, but the curvature of the earth, alas, is reflected even in logic: an ideally rational progression of thought will finally bring you back to the point of departure where you return aware of the simplicity of genius, with a delightful sensation that you have embraced truth, while actually you have merely embraced your own self... anything you might term a deduction already exposes the flaw: logical development inexorably becomes an envelopment.

~ Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov Deduction Logic Truth

There's also a possibility that the landlord is in there right now, wearing women's undergarments. Or a drug addict is inside stealing jewelry.Or a boatload of recent Chinese immigrants without a television watching Russia play Finland in hockey and placing bets over beer. You have no idea what's behind that door. You can't just pick the options within your field of vision. Reality comes from everywhere. At best, you can narrow down the likelihoods. But in the end, it's not a matter of deduction. It's a matter of fact. One bullet will kill you if you're stupid or unlucky. So at least don't be stupid

~ Derek B. Miller

Derek B. Miller Deduction Possibility Reality

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.

~ Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle Data Deduction Information Mistake Theories Theory