Who said “Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished…”?

Verified

Raymond Chandler. A published source records them saying or writing it.

Sourceessay, first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly (November, 1945)

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“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.”
Verifiedessay, first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly (November, 1945) · evidenceHeroes and Heroism
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: essay, first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly (November, 1945).

APA

Chandler, R. (n.d.). Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/17201-down-these-mean-streets-a-man-must-go/

MLA

Chandler, Raymond. “Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/17201-down-these-mean-streets-a-man-must-go/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Chandler, Raymond. “Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/17201-down-these-mean-streets-a-man-must-go/.