Cunning and Cleverness Quotes in The Da Vinci Code

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Her shock over the anagram was matched only by her embarrassment at not having deciphered the message herself. Sophie's expertise in complex cryptanalysis had caused her to overlook simplistic word games, and yet she knew she should have seen it. After all, she was no stranger to anagrams – especially in English. (21.3)

We've all been there, when we're trying so hard to solve something that we miss the easy answer.

Quote #5

As Silas read the words on the tablet, he felt surprise. He had expected the keystone to be a map, or a complex series of directions, perhaps even encoded. The keystone, however, bore the simplest of inscriptions.

Job 38: 11

A Bible verse? Silas was stunned with the devilish simplicity. The secret location of that which they sought was revealed in a Bible verse? The brotherhood stopped at nothing to mock the righteous! (29.8-10)

Little does he know…they're still mocking him. That verse turns out to say, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further." Oooh, burn!

Quote #6

Sophie guided Langdon toward the ticket window and said, "Buy us two tickets with your credit card."

"I thought credit card usage could be traced by—"

"Exactly."

[…]

Sophie guided him out toward the tracks, where a familiar tone chimed overhead and a P.A. announcer gave the final boarding call for Lyon. Sixteen separate tracks spread out before them. In the distance to the right, at quay three, the train to Lyon was belching and wheezing in preparation for departure, but Sophie already had her arm through Langdon's and was guiding him in the exact opposite direction. They hurried through a side lobby, past an all-night café, and finally out a side door onto a quiet street on the west side of the station.

A lone taxi sat idling by the doorway. (35.6-13)

Once again, Sophie proves herself to be a criminal mastermind. The speed at which she concocts these plans almost defies belief, but the consistency with which she hatches these schemes makes them seem almost plausible.