“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.”
Sherlock bases all of his investigations on the observation of details, he observes what others merely see. This means that the little things he can see and others ignore are often the most important aspects of his investigation. They are what seperates him from the vareous police men the reader is introduced to, who Homles acuses of either laking the right imagination or laking the right comon sense.
“I am not a very good man, Effie, but I think that I am a better one than you have given me credit for being.”
Sherlock is often a very progressive collection, the Adventure of Yellow Face perfectly showcasing this in its calm acceptance of a mix raced couple and their child. She had been cast out by her society when marrying him and he had died some years latter, leaving her and her child. She returned home and met her new husband but worried that he would never exept her or her child if he new. Munro, when realising that his wife had a secret child with a black American, opens his house to them both in acceptance.
“It’s every man’s business to see justice done.”
When explaining his motives of solving crimes to a suspect, Sherlock details a very noble reasoning for his crime solving life. He solves crimes not for money nor fame, not even just to keep the boredom away, but because he feels justice must be done. This quote also hints towards Sherlock's tendency to manipulate the law, as he will not turn in people who have commited crimes as long as he belves they do not deserve it.
“Save for the occasional use of cocaine he had no vices, and he only turned to the drug as a protest against the monotony of existence when cases were scanty and the papers uninteresting.”
Although Watson does not agree with Sherlock's use of cocaine, he has come to overlook it as part of his friend’s life. Sherlock cannot stand the dullness of life outside of his cases of murder and intrigue, thus turning to drugs in order to give his mind some outlet. Sherlock understates the dangers of cocain on his mind in favour of beliving its virtues in helping him ecape reality outside of his cases.
“I follow my own methods, and tell as much or as little as I choose. That is the advantage of being unofficial.”
Sherlock is a one of a kind detective, not part of the police force, nor a private detective of the traditional sense. He is a detective that works with the police without having to be tied down by them, deciding his own methods and following where they lead. This quote is further ecidence of his disregard of the traditional law in many cases. For example, when he finds silver blaze he does hand in the man that took the horse, deciding instead to scare him into civility and good behaviour.
