Investigate Quotes

“Until every soul is freely permitted to investigate every book, and creed, and dogma for itself, the world cannot be free. Mankind will be enslaved until there is mental grandeur enough to allow each man to have his thought and say. This earth will be a paradise when men can, upon all these questions differ, and yet grasp each other's hands as friends. It is amazing to me that a difference of opinion upon subjects that we know nothing with certainty about, should make us hate, persecute, and despise each other. Why a difference of opinion upon predestination, or the trinity, should make people imprison and burn each other seems beyond the comprehension of man; and yet in all countries where Christians have existed, they have destroyed each other to the exact extent of their power. Why should a believer in God hate an atheist? Surely the atheist has not injured God, and surely he is human, capable of joy and pain, and entitled to all the rights of man. Would it not be far better to treat this atheist, at least, as well as he treats us?

Christians tell me that they love their enemies, and yet all I ask is—not that they love their enemies, not that they love their friends even, but that they treat those who differ from them, with simple fairness.

We do not wish to be forgiven, but we wish Christians to so act that we will not have to forgive them. If all will admit that all have an equal right to think, then the question is forever solved; but as long as organized and powerful churches, pretending to hold the keys of heaven and hell, denounce every person as an outcast and criminal who thinks for himself and denies their authority, the world will be filled with hatred and suffering. To hate man and worship God seems to be the sum of all the creeds.”
― Robert G. Ingersoll, Some Mistakes of Moses

“Never judge someone's character based on the words of another. Instead, study the motives behind the words of the person casting the bad judgment. An honest woman can sell tangerines all day and remain a good person until she dies, but there will always be naysayers who will try to convince you otherwise. Perhaps this woman did not give them something for free, or at a discount. Perhaps too, that she refused to stand with them when they were wrong — or just stood up for something she felt was right. And also, it could be that some bitter women are envious of her, or that she rejected the advances of some very proud men. Always trust your heart. If the Creator stood before a million men with the light of a million lamps, only a few would truly see him because truth is already alive in their hearts. Truth can only be seen by those with truth in them. He who does not have Truth in his heart, will always be blind to her.”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

“Mize knew that the outcome of today’s hearing was all about politics. Lady Justice wasn’t blind. She was wearing see-no-evil lenses and had been cursed with a more troubling disability—muteness. There existed no doubt in his mind that political machinations had suffocated legal precedent on this day.”
― Chad Boudreaux, Scavenger Hunt

“While waiting for her accomplice to gather his equipment, Hensley couldn’t help but think ahead to her next mission. She hadn’t told him. It wasn’t a mission for which she’d volunteered, nor a mission about which she knew any details.”
― Chad Boudreaux, Scavenger Hunt

“Home was the one place he wanted to forget, the place from which he’d run away but never could escape. And, yes, home was the place he’d been instructed to leave—the place where the trouble began and the trouble would end.”
― Chad Boudreaux, Scavenger Hunt

“Not to change the subject, but…you do realize you’ve been going over the speed limit for quite a few miles? Never mind. And thank you Professor Ludefance. Somehow, I think this lecture is meant for me, but I have a lot more interchange of material and energy with my environment than most.”
“In a physical sense, you’re not decaying at all, you’re a very vibrant young woman. The decay I’m speaking about for you is emotional. As for the professorship, that very lecture was given to me from a Turkish friend who had inherited a great deal of wealth and didn’t know what to do with himself. I learned this from him. As for you, you interact with your environment, but you are predatory, fearless, irritable, and listless. You’re getting no emotional feedback.”
“And just where do you suggest I go to look for ‘emotional feedback,’ Mr. Professor?”
“Aha. That’s the catch. You can’t. It’s not that mechanical. You merely have to be receptive and hope it comes along.”
“Meanwhile, I’m being ground down by the second law of thermodynamics.”
“In a sense, yes.”
“Thank you so much, Professor. I never would have known.”
― Behcet Kaya, Appellate Judge

“It had taken me a full three days to read and study the police reports. My initial thought was to find what I thought I wanted to see, but I quickly abolished that idea because I couldn’t tell what I needed to see. There was just too much information. I never really knew where that break was going to come from and I didn’t want to miss anything.”
― Behcet Kaya, Appellate Judge

“I hardly think so. If I was ashamed, I wouldn’t have testified on your behalf, admitting the truth that I was your father in front of the United States Naval Court. But, I don’t think now is the time to discuss these matters.”
― Behcet Kaya, Murder on the Naval Base

“Now you will know the real
hell. Not the one you go to after you die.
This is the one you go before.”
― Kwei Quartey, Last Seen in Lapaz

“I feel Australian. He feels Czechoslovakian. I am completely home here. I give them [Australia] my children, we do good, we work all our lives, we give Australia a lot.
Libuse Slehofer”
― Peter Brune, Suffering, Redemption and Triumph: The first wave of post-war Australian immigrants 1945-66

“David sat in the teacher’s lounge. Two other shlemiels sat on the other side, getting coffee. Sports, movies, conversation. He would have to join the group.
The new assistant principal was to join them this afternoon. Just say hello. He got up and got coffee.
David held the hot coffee and pretended to drink it. Didn’t want to spill on his white shirt.
Then a tall slender woman walked in with the main campus principal, Edmond, and she looked around. Now would come the meet and greet. Fresh meat.
Edmond turned to him. “This is David Bar David, Doctor Bar David. Math.”
The thin woman reached out her hand and David shook it. “My,” she said, “such a warm hand.”
“But a cold heart,” he said.”
― Michael Grigsby, Segment of One

“Maybe she decided to hitchhike, which sounds a bit weird these days, but in those days we used to hitchhike quite a lot. I wasn’t really concerned about her; you hadn’t yet had your Ivan Milats and the sort of people who mean a hell of a lot less people hitchhike these days.”
― Nicole Morris, Vanished: True Stories from Families of Australian Missing Persons

“Sol sneered. “The Unabomber was a mathematician.”
“What Ted Kaczynski did can barely be called math,” David said.  “Boundary conditions! Totally irrelevant.”
“He had a PhD.”
“From the University of Michigan. I don’t know if that even counts. And don’t think I don’t know that it was his brother who turned him in.”
Sol looked at him closely. “Whose name was David. That’s your name, right?”
“I would never turn you in.”
Sol shrugged. “Of course not,” he said and drove on.”
― Michael Grigsby, Segment of One

“Cheered on by other motorists the lorry driver urinated over the nearest three protesters.”
― Phil Hall, Murder O'clock

“Investigating
Professor Shore from Memphis State,
Decided to investigate
Just how the elephant's tail was tied
Onto the elephant's leathery hide.
Well while he was investigating,
Something happened so nauseating,
That I fear it might make you sick to hear it.
So let's just say Professor Shore
Doesn't investigate tails no more.
(You`ll find surprises happen mostly
When we investigate too closely)”
― Shel Silverstein

“I knew something was wrong the minute he didn’t come home,’ says Jo. ‘He always rang. Always.
Jo is adamant he would have found a way to call her and let her know what was happening. ‘He would have found a phone and rung me. He had every intention of coming home.”
― Nicole Morris, Vanished: True Stories from Families of Australian Missing Persons

“You’ve one week to solve this, or you’re history!”
― Phil Hall, Murder O'Clock

“When Ngozi opened her eyes, she had a split second of disorientation.
Where was this dazzling, airy room? Heaven? No, East
Legon in a beautiful bed with a beautiful man—close enough.”
― Kwei Quartey, Last Seen in Lapaz

“Because she was trying to flee from them, they regarded her as a fugitive from the jaws of the Alligator.”
― Kwei Quartey, Last Seen in Lapaz

“That was his senior year,” Jonah said. “He was such a handsome young man. Destined for greatness. It’s hard to live with all the sadness and anger that erupts when a tragic thing happens, like what took my Jacob.”
― William West, The Ascension of Mary

“It’s funny how sometimes—and often enough to be a significant moment in my life, a conversation or a series of changes in my life led to one big moment—or the possibility of a big moment. ”
― William West

“Funny, the four of us sitting here,” Mary said, “even with all of our broken parts, we still fit together. I guess that’s what makes a family.”
― William West, The Ascension of Mary

“Dressed in an expensive-looking dark
gray suit, the man was in his early sixties and had the air of one
accustomed to giving orders, not carrying them out.”
― Kwei Quartey, Last Seen in Lapaz

“She clung to him like linguini.” ”
― Diane L. Kowalyshyn, Catch .22

“I was a private investigator, digging my way through my own deeply buried secrets, both desperate for answers and fighting to keep them hidden.”
― Kerry Hudson, Lowborn: Growing Up, Getting Away and Returning to Britain’s Poorest Towns

“People with sleep disorders should investigate sleeping on different types of bedding.”
― Steven Magee, Hypoxia, Mental Illness & Chronic Fatigue

“We want the same happiness and comfort and love and security that will make our lives, however long or short, something that we feel was well-lived. We must first help our neighbors, friends, family, and even strangers before we can help ourselves. We cannot be selective or feel that we are better than anyone else in this world where we all want the same things. Only then, will we be able to leave this Earth with the peace of knowing that we gave ourselves to help others, and doing that, we helped ourselves, and doing that, we made this world a little better.”
― William West, The Ascension of Mary

“Maybe you could just tell us what you did," I suggested. "Where you went, what you saw, and not mention if Doug was there or not. Just keep it in the first person singular.”
― Maryellen Winkler, The Disappearance of Darcie Malone

“If the only place you look for research is the internet, you will only have a partial view of things.”
― Steven Magee

“It is true that in the absence of information, people tend to assume the worse. But I believe that even in the presence of information, people still refuse to read.”
― Niedria Kenny, Order in the Courtroom: The Tale of a Texas Poker Player