Sherlock Holmes's Philosophy

When Sherlock Holmes says things such as: "A client to me is a mere unit, a factor in a problem. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning." It is little wonder that Watson would refer to his friend as an automaton—a calculating machine. But we know Holmes was more than that. He was human, of course. He was educated, cultured, and refined to a degree. He studied and appreciated both music and history and every once in a while, we get a glimpse at the great detective's philosophical side.

Here is a limited list of Holmes's philosophical quotes from the canon.

"The sea air, sunshine, and patience, Watson—all else will come." — The Devil's Foot 

"How small we feel, with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature." — The Sign of Four

"When one tries to rise above Nature one is liable to fall below it. The highest type of man may revert to the animal if he leaves the straight road of destiny." — The Creeping Man

"To a great mind, nothing is little." — A Study in Scarlet

"Is not all life pathetic and futile?... We reach. We grasp. And what is left in our hands at the end? A shadow. Or worse than a shadow— misery." — The Retired Colourman

"Depend upon it, there is nothing so unnatural as the commonplace." — A case of Identity.

"Human nature is a strange mixture, Watson. You see that even a villain and a murderer can inspire such affection that his brother turns to suicide when he learns that his neck is forfeited." — The Stockbroker's Clerk

"I think that I may go so far as to say, Watson, that I have not lived wholly in vain." — The Final Problem

"My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence." — The Red-headed League

"What is the meaning of it, Watson? What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear? It must tend to some end, or else our universe is ruled by chance, which is unthinkable. But what end? There is the great standing perennial problem to which human reason is as far from an answer as ever." — The Cardboard Box

"Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it... The example of patient suffering is in itself the most precious of all lessons to an impatient world." — The Veiled Lodger

"In a modest way I have combatted evil, but to take on the Father of Evil himself, would, perhaps, be too ambitious a task." — The Hound of the Baskervilles

"One's ideas must be as broad as Nature if they are to interpret Nature." — A Study in Scarlet

"The ways of Fate are hard to understand. If there is not some compensation hereafter, then the world is a cruel jest." — The Veiled Lodger

"God help us! Why does Fate play such tricks with poor helpless worms?... There, but for the grace of God goes Sherlock Holmes!" — The Boscombe Valley Mystery

"My dear fellow, life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent." — A Case of Identity

"There's an east wind coming all the same, such a wind as never blew on England yet. It will be cold and bitter, Watson, and a good may of us may wither before its blast. But it's God's own wind none the less, and a cleaner, better, stronger land will lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared." — His Last Bow

As I stated, this is not a definitive list. I am certain the reader can recall other philosophical quotes as well.

Here, I would like to insert a few of my own philosophical quotes of Holmes from my stories.

“What is the mark of man, Watson?” he said, his face contemplative and sober as he stared out the window of our carriage. “What makes us who we are? Is it our name, our reputation, our accomplishments? Is it some title, some award, some honour? Is it who we think we are or who others think we are?" — The Adventure of the Tired Captain

"I plan to solve Westerbrook's murder, not out of pride, or ego, or vanity, but out of some sense of justice, and because he came to me for help and I denied him. God may forgive me for this, but I cannot forgive myself." — Cold-Hearted Murder

"O Watson, Watson, if a man ever finds himself doubting his faith in a Higher Power, let him put to sea so he may experience the great oceans. Let him smell the sea air and feel the tides that also course through his own being. Let him behold the night sky ablaze with stars that came into being long before him and shall exist long after he is dust. Once he is lifted on mountainous waves, only then may the Almighty's plan for him be realized." — The Adventure Aboard the Dominion City                                    

"As for sin: sin does exist, and it is man's folly to think it does not. The world is full of sin, but it is up to every man, woman, and child to guard against sin. But there is also goodness in the world; goodness, decency, respectability, and kindness. Let us all, with the Grace of Providence, focus ourselves on those." — The Nonpareil Club Scandal

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