"I caught the blackjack right behind my ear. A black pool opened up at my feet. I dived in. It had no bottom. I felt p…"

"'Okay Marlowe,' I said to myself. 'You're a tough guy. You've been sapped twice, choked, beaten silly with a gun, sho…"

"[about his gun] That's just part of my clothes. I hardly ever shoot anybody with it."

"Now this is beginning to make sense, in a screwy sort of a way. I get dragged in and get money shoved at me. I get pu…"

"He was doubled up on his face in that bag-of-old-clothes position that always means the same thing: he had been kille…"

"Skip the water. Make that one with scotch. It'll save time."

"You shouldn't kiss a girl when you're wearing that gun... leaves a bruise."

"Lt. Randall: You're not a detective, you're a slot machine. You'd slit your own throat for 6 bits plus tax."

"Haunted by a lovely face... hunted for another's crime!"

"She was a charming middle-aged lady with a face like a bucket of mud. I gave her a drink. She was a gal who'd take a …"