Brigid O'Shaughnessy: “I haven't lived a good life. I've been bad, worse than you could know.” Sam Spade “You know, that's good, because if you actually were as innocent as you pretend to be, we'd never get anywhere

Dashiell Hammett
About This Quote

When Brigid O'Shaughnessy said, "I haven't lived a good life. I've been bad, worse than you could know," she was saying that she had done many things she wasn't proud of. By saying this, O'Shaughnessy was admitting that her life had been difficult and that she had done some things that were wrong. In essence, what she was saying is that she had been a bad person by living a bad life.

In contrast, Sam Spade had the ability to live a good life because he didn't live a bad life. He was honest about his mistakes and admitted to them, instead of pretending to be something he wasn't.

Source: The Maltese Falcon

Some Similar Quotes
  1. Every great love starts with a great story... - Nicholas Sparks
  2. I knew, in the silence that followed, that anything could happen here. It might be too late: again, I might have missed my chance. But I would at least know I tried, that I took my heart and extended my hand, whatever the outcome." Okay,... - Sarah Dessen
  3. You know what charm is: a way of getting the answer yes without having asked any clear question. - Albert Camus
  4. I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. <span style="margin:15px; display:block"></span>Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are... - Jane Austen
  5. My soul will find yours. - Jude Deveraux
More Quotes By Dashiell Hammett
  1. Brigid O'Shaughnessy: “I haven't lived a good life. I've been bad, worse than you could know.” Sam Spade “You know, that's good, because if you actually were as innocent as you pretend to be, we'd never get anywhere
  2. He looked rather pleasantly, like a blonde satan.
  3. If you have a story that seems worth telling, and you think you can tell it worthily, then the thing for you to do is to tell it, regardless of whether it has to do with sex, sailors or mounted policemen.
  4. I found I was repeating myself. It is the beginning of the end when you discover you have style.
  5. Joel Cairo: You always have a very smooth explanation ready. Sam Spade: What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?
Related Topics