Poirot," I said. "I have been thinking." "An admirable exercise my friend. Continue it.
Agatha ChristieRead
You are the patient one, Mademoiselle,' said Poirot to Miss Debenham. She shrugged her shoulders slightly. 'What else can one do?' You are a philosopher, Mademoiselle.' That implies a detached attitude. I think my attitude is more selfish. I have learned to save myself useless emotion.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the nature of emotional detachment and the balance between patience and self-preservation.
In this quote, Poirot observes Miss Debenham's patience and describes her philosophical outlook on life. However, she contends that her detached attitude stems not from a place of wisdom but rather from a desire to protect herself from unnecessary emotional turmoil. This exchange highlights a common philosophical dilemma where individuals grapple with the balance between engagement in their emotions and the protection of their own well-being.
Themes
PatienceDetachmentEmotionPhilosophySelf-Preservation
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on emotional intelligence, one might refer to this quote to explain the balance between feeling and detachment.
More from Agatha Christie
All quotes →Best of an island is once you get there - you can't go any farther...you've come to the end of things.
Agatha ChristieRead
Where large sums of money are concerned, it is advisable to trust nobody.
Agatha ChristieRead
I have wanted . . . to commit a murder myself. I recognized this as the desire of the artist to express himself! . . . But-incongruous as it may seem to some-I was restrained and hampered by my innate sense of justice. The innocent must not suffer.
Agatha ChristieRead
Sitting here with one's knitting, one just sees the facts. -"The Blood-Stained Pavement
Agatha ChristieRead
No, my friend, I am not drunk. I have just been to the dentist, and need not return for another six months! Is it not the most beautiful thought? --Poirot
Agatha ChristieRead
Similar quotes
Maybe he hadn't thought the war through. It had seemed like simple fun when he had first pictured it, with a glorious beginning, a difficult but valor-filled middle, and a victorious end. He hadn't accounted for the fact that there might not be much of a resolution to the battle, and he hadn't imagined what it would feel like when the war just sort of ended, without anyone admitting defeat and congratulating him for his bravery.
Dave EggersRead
The formula of the argument is simple and familiar: to dispose of a problem all that is necessary is to deny that it exists.
H. L. MenckenRead
Nothing lasts, you see, not even the thoughts inside you. And you musn't waste your time looking for them. Once a thing is gone, that is the end of it.
Paul AusterRead
A judgment about life has no meaning except the truth of the one who speaks last, and the mind is at ease only at the moment when everyone is shouting at once and no one can hear a thing.
Georges BatailleRead
Equity feminism is a moral doctrine about equal treatment that makes no commitments regarding open empirical issues in psychology or biology.
Steven PinkerRead
The church is like a swimming pool. Most of the noise comes from the shallow end.
John Shelby SpongRead