Poirot," I said. "I have been thinking." "An admirable exercise my friend. Continue it.
I was thinking, that when my time comes, I should be sorry if the only plea I had to offer was that of justice. Because it might mean that only justice would be meted out to me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the idea that relying solely on justice may not be enough; one should seek deeper moral understanding and accountability.
In this quote, Agatha Christie expresses a profound concern about the limitations of justice as a defense in the face of life's ultimate reckoning. It suggests that merely claiming justice, without deeper virtues or personal accountability, may not suffice when one's life is evaluated at the end. This prompts a reflection on the importance of integrity and moral responsibility beyond just adhering to justice.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal integrity, one might quote Agatha Christie to emphasize the importance of moral responsibility.
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.
Where large sums of money are concerned, it is advisable to trust nobody.
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.
Sitting here with one's knitting, one just sees the facts. -"The Blood-Stained Pavement
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
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You’ll join me sooner than you know in a place with . . . no illusions, where the truth is the only architecture, the only color, the only sound--where that which we sense merely on occasion, and which takes us up and gives us the rare and beautiful glimpses of the things we truly love, flows in deep rivers and tumbles about like clouds in the sky.
Where there is no free agency, there can be no morality. Where there is no temptation, there can be little claim to virtue. Where the routine is rigorously proscribed by law, the law, and not the man, must have the credit of the conduct.
Nothing prevents one from appearing natural as the desire to appear natural.
I am ashamed every day, and more ashamed the next. But I will spend the rest of my life in this living space writing these notes, this journal, recording my acts and reflections, finding some honor, some worth at the bottom of things. I want ten thousand pages that will stop the world.
This whole religion revolves around knowing the truth and acting by it, and action must be accompanied by patience.
Most people don't pray until they're in trouble._x000D_ _x000D_ When people need help they pray a lot._x000D_ _x000D_ But after they get what they want, they slow down._x000D_ _x000D_ If a man takes five showers a day, his body will be clean. _x000D_ _x000D_ Praying five times a day helps me clean my mind.