The Maltese falcon

“He looked rather pleasantly, like a blonde satan.””

— Hammett, Dashiell

“Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready.Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?””

— Hammett, Dashiell

“I distrust a man that says when. If he's got to be careful not to drink to much it's because he's not to be trusted when he does.””

— Hammett, Dashiell

“We didn't exactly believe your story.'Then --?''We believed your two hundred dollars.''You mean --' She seemed not to know what he meant.'I mean that you paid us more than if you'd been telling the truth,' he explained blandly, 'and enough more to make it all right.””

— Hammett, Dashiell

“My way of learning is to heave a wild and unpredictable monkey-wrench into the machinery.””

— Hammett, Dashiell

“The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter.””

— Hammett, Dashiell

“When a man's partner is killed he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. Then it happens we were in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed it's bad business to let the killer get away with it. It's bad all around-bad for that one organization, bad for every detective everywhere. Sam Spade””

— Hammett, Dashiell

“He felt like somebody had taken the lid off life and let him see the works.””

— Hammett, Dashiell

“I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, its possible to get another. There's only one Maltese Falcon.””

— Hammett, Dashiell