"You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear." ~Sherlock Holmes

Why is Sherlock Holmes so successful with all of his cases? He always seems to use the simplest pieces of evidence to solve a mystery. Somehow he puts all of the facts together in his head and makes sense of it, how nobody else could. After all, he did say himself, "You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear." This basically means that we judge things by how they look, but he observes them and takes his train of thought one step further, therefore coming one step closer to solving the problem, which just might give him the edge, when it comes to solving a mystery.

It always seems to be the small things he observes, because the are the most hidden, and anybody can see the obvious things. It doesn't actually take that much effort to see the small things, but it takes effort to observe them, and to think of why they are the way they are. Sherlock always goes the extra mile to think things through, and it usually is the deciding factor in the solution to a mystery. Sherlock once said, "It has long been a concept of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important." And he's right in that fact, and although the big things can play a huge part in a mystery, the small things are just as important. It helps to think that there is a reason that everything is how it is in life, and nothing is really the way it is for no reason. It just takes a powerful mind to further observe them.

I therefore conclude that the reason that Sherlock Holmes is successful in almost all of his cases is due to his ability to think about reasons for things, and is also never afraid to ask the question, "Why?"