Patricia Cornwell Quotes

I constantly remind people that crime isn't solved by technology; it's solved by people.

Life brings with it strangeness and surprises and upsets

If everybody, every day, would try to do one thing that pulls them beyond themselves the world will start being a better place.

I didn't invent forensic science and medicine. I just was one of the first people to recognize how interesting it is.

I believe the root of all evil is abuse of power.

I've always believed human blood is red because it really needs to draw attention to itself.

Do no harm & leave the world a better place than you found it.

Thoughts are odd misfires.

When I was at college there were two things I vowed I'd never do. One was go to a funeral and the other was deal with computers. And then I ended up being a computer programmer in a morgue.

We create our own worlds. We destroy our own worlds. It is that simple.

In the first person, the readers feel smart, like it's them solving the case.

I hate the term "mystery". That's not what I write. I think the Scarpetta novels are much more character-driven than an average puzzle solver. Writing should be like a pane of glass - there's another world on the other side and your vision carries you there, but you're not aware of having passed through a barrier to get there.

Being with someone who is smart and gives good advice adds tremendously wonderful elements to your life.

Survival my only hope. Success my only revenge

Being gay is just one aspect of my very complicated life. I do not wear it on my sleeve.

America is the most violent democracy in the world. It's something that's met with great shock, horror, and mystery when I travel to other countries. They ask, Why are there so many shootings in America? Why does everyone own a gun?

rain slowly slides down the glass as if the night is crying.

To almost die is to know that one day you will, and to never again feel the same about anything.

I wouldn't want to assume that all men are like you. If I did, I know I would give them up entirely

You can't cure a chipped plate. All you can do is live with it or throw it out.

My friends call me Miss Worst Case Scenario.

In my forties, my optimism was boundless. I had really good health and tremendous success which allowed me to do anything I wanted.

First of all, it does not deter crime, the death penalty.

Murder is about power and the more powerful women get the more it will change the good that they do and the bad that they do.

I'm very, very sensitive to pain and to people who suffer.