Reginald Hill Quotes & Sayings

His attitude to physical clues was rather like that of the modern Christian to miracles. They could happen, but probably not just at the moment. — Reginald Hill

Meticulousness is the better part of serendipity. — Reginald Hill

Twelve strangers," he interrupted, "twelve citizens picked off the street. In this world we're unfortunate to live in, and especially in this septic isle we live on,where squalid politicians conspire with the squalid press to feed a half-educated and wholly complacent public on a diet of meretricious trivia, I'm sure it would be possible to concoct enough evidence to persuade twelve strangers that Nelson Mandela was a cannibal. — Reginald Hill

So what to do? ... She shook her head impatiently. Choice is a largely delusional concept, her tutor used to say. Whether in politics, morals or shopping, we have far less than we imagine. In the end what we have to do often doesn't even figure on our list of pseudo-options. — Reginald Hill

Pace doesn't mean speed; it means the right speed. Diagnosis and cure are simple. If you've reached where you want to be in your story too quickly, ask yourself what you've left out. If you've come to a certain point too slowly, ask yourself what kept you so long. — Reginald Hill

Or an amicable pair," said Sam. "Sorry?" "In math, that's what we call two numbers each of which is equal to the sum of the divisors of the other. The smallest ones, 220 and 284, were regarded by the Pythagoreans as symbols of true friendship. — Reginald Hill

How come you still go on about your religion even after you gave it up?' ... 'It would be truer to say it gave me up, or rather it directed me to another path. But I still need it to tell me who I am. What about you Sam? Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones who are so sure who they are that external help isn't necessary. — Reginald Hill

The pain of ignorance can end. The pain of knowledge is forever — Reginald Hill

A politician's capacity to ignore contradictory evidence — Reginald Hill

Then I saw that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven. — Reginald Hill

Hope is a black beetle. Stamp on it hard as you liked, it still scuttled on — Reginald Hill

Buses and trains both set you thinking, but not in the same way. Trains give you a rhythm, sent you into dreams, cut you off from reality. Buses were always stopping and starting; traffic, road-junctions, lights; and of course, bus-stops. The world you passed through was observable. And real. So was the world inside your head. Buses were good places to worry on. — Reginald Hill

Sorry?" said Dalziel turning. "What's that you said?"
He cupped a large hand to a proportionally large ear.
If the buggers get clever, he had once told Pascoe, pretend you can't hear. Then pretend you can't understand. Nothing's funny if it's repeated and explained. — Reginald Hill