Chandra Kamil’s Reviews > Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume I > Status Update

Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowinf out the useful ones.

Now a skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can destend to any extent.

I consider that a man’d brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with subch furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it.

Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it.

Surely no man would work so hard or attain such precise information unless he had some definite end in view. Desultory readers are seldom remarkable for the exactness of their learning. No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.

I’ll wager he learns more about you than you about him.

A well-played violin is a treat for the gods

I get in the dumps at times, and don’t open my mouth for days on end. You must not think Iam sulky when I do that. Just let me alone, and I’ll soon be right.

He appears to have a passion for definite and exact knowledge.