“Waldo Butters: Screw up my life?
[He stared a me for a second and then said, deadpan]
Waldo Butters: I’m a five-foot-three, thirty-seven-year-old, single, Jewish medical examiner who needs to pick up his lederhosen from the dry cleaners so that he can play in a one-man polka band at Oktoberfest tomorrow.
[He pushed up his glasses with his forefinger, folded his arms, and said]
Waldo Butters: Do your worst.”

“Yes," he said sincerely. "Such a one deserves peanut butter on the seat of his pants.”

“Let every man shovel out his own snow, and the whole city will be passable," said Gamache. Seeing Beauvoir's puzzled expression he added, "Emerson."

"Lake and Palmer?"

"Ralph and Waldo.”

“Afternoon with Q. [Quappi, his second wife] on foot, looking for butter and coals – in vain.”

“Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.”

“Mace flipped up a thumb. "You think being armed and ruthless means you can do whatever you want." He folded his thumb and flipped up his forefinger. "You think nobody will stand up to you when they're naked." He folded that one again and flipped up the next. "And you think you're going to look inside my bag."”

“Harry Dresden: Because Thomas is too pretty to die. And because I'm too stubborn to die. And most of all because tomorrow is Oktoberfest, Butters, and polka will never die.”

“If every man lays down his arms and refuses to pick them up, the first man to pick up can do whatever he wants.”

“And people say to me, they say Jesus wasn't Jewish. I say of course he was Jewish. 30 years old, single, lives with his parents. Come on! Work in his father's business, his mom thought he was God's gift! He's Jewish! Give it up!”

“He’s not really a religious man, but he knows which side his bread’s buttered on. The churches pay his salary, so he doesn’t want anyone rocking the boat with unorthodox rumours.”