Jim Butcher Quotes

“...you look like you fell out of a crazy tree and hit every branch on the way down.”

Source: Proven Guilty: A Novel Of the Dresden Files

Way Looks Tree Crazy Like You Branches

“Erlking,” I told her. “Big-time bad guy. Wants to eat me.” “Why?” she asked. “Well. I met him,” I said.”

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 7-12

Want Wells Said Bigs Guy Mets Bad Guys

“Troubleshooters?" Michael asked. "When there's trouble," I told him, "they shoot it.”

Source: Proven Guilty: A Novel Of the Dresden Files

Trouble

Book:Small Favor: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Source: Small Favor: A Novel of the Dresden Files

“Molly was committing dinner by that time, aided and abetted by Sanya, who seemed to take some kind of grim Russian delight in watching train wrecks in progress.”

Kind Progress Train Delight Dinner Wrecks Grim Train Wrecks

“Kincaid, evidently exhausted himself, drew a gun, took the safety off, placed it on his chest, and went to sleep too. "It's cute," I whispered to Murphy. "He has a teddy Glock.”

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 7-12

Sleep Gun Safety Cute Chests Exhausted Teddy Murphy Glocks

“I checked my gear, my pockets, my shoelaces, and realized that I had crossed the line between making sure I was ready and trying to postpone the inevitable.”

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 7-12

Trying Lines Ready Inevitable Pockets Gears Shoelaces

Book:Turn Coat: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Source: Turn Coat: A Novel of the Dresden Files

“Mort drove one of those little hybrid cars that, when not running on gasoline, was fueled by idealism. It was made out of crepe paper and duct tape and boasted a computer system that looked like it could have run the NYSE and NORAD, with enough attention left over to play tic-tac-toe. Or possibly Global Thermonuclear War.”

Source: Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files

“Demonreach only wants Harry to see what's going on." "Why doesn't it just marry him?" Thomas muttered under his breath. "It sort of did," I said. "My brother the... geosexual?”

Want Said Brother Breaths My Brother

“Oh, I forgot to mention it: My brother is the kind of man whom women stalk. In cooperative packs.”

Source: Cold Days: The Dresden Files, Book Fourteen

Men Kind Brother My Brother Packs Stalking Cooperatives

“The only good thing about having your back to the wall is that it makes it really easy to choose which way you're going to go.”

Source: Cold Days: The Dresden Files, Book Fourteen

Way Easy Wall Good Things

Author:Jim Butcher

“Everyone stopped to blink at that for a second. I mean, come on. Impaled by a guided frozen turkey missile. Even by the standards of the quasi-immortal creatures of the night, that ain't something you see twice. "For my next trick," I panted into the startled silence, "anvils.”

Mean Night Next Silence Creatures Standards Tricks Immortal Frozen Turkeys Missiles Blink Anvils Creatures Of The Night

Book:Blood Rites: Book six of The Dresden Files

Source: Blood Rites: Book six of The Dresden Files

“I admit," Morgan said with another withering look, "it's no donut.”

Looks Said Withering Donuts

Book:Turn Coat: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Source: Turn Coat: A Novel of the Dresden Files

“Paradox is an overrated threat. There is...a quality similar to inertia at work. Once an event has occurred, there is an extremely strong tendency for that event to occur. The larger, more significant, or more energetic the event, the more it tends to remain as it originally happened, despite any interference." I frowned. "There's...a law of conservation of history?”

Law Strong Quality Happened Events Threat Significant Tendencies Despite Paradox Conservation Interference Energetic Overrated Inertia

Author:Jim Butcher

“I love watching him think," Maeve told Lily. "You can almost hear that poor little hamster running and running on its wheel.”

Thinking Littles Running Poor Wheels Lilies Hamsters

Author:Jim Butcher

“Sometimes I think that's where most of us are. Fighting off the crazy as best we can. Trying to become something better than we were. It's that second bit that's important.”

Thinking Trying Important Sometimes Fighting Bits Crazy Something Better

“He's Black Council," I said. "Or maybe stupid," Ebenezar countered. I thought about it. "Not sure which is scarier." Ebenezar blinked at me, then snorted. "Stupid, Hoss. Every time. Only so many blackhearted villains in the world, and they only get uppity on occasion. Stupid's everywhere, every day.”

Source: Cold Days: The Dresden Files, Book Fourteen

World Said Black Stupid Occasions Not Sure Villain Council

Book:Changes: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Source: Changes: A Novel of the Dresden Files

“Whenever you've got a choice, do good, kiddo. It isn't always fun or easy, but in the long run it makes your life better.”

Long Running Choices Fun Easy Long Runs

Author:Jim Butcher

“I've been a young man. Boobs are near the center of the universe, until you turn twenty-five or so. Which is also when young men's auto insurance rates go down. This is not a coincidence.”

Men Young Turns Universe Five Twenties Rate Young Man Coincidence Twenty Five Center Of The Universe Insurance Rate

Book:Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Source: Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files

“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching - they are your family.”

Source: Proven Guilty: A Novel Of the Dresden Files

“No one is an unjust villain in his own mind. Even - perhaps even especially those who are the worst of us. Some of the cruelest tyrants in history were motivated by noble ideals, or made choices they would call "hard but necessary" for the good of their nation. We're all the hero of our own story.”

Mind Made Hard Stories Choices Nations Worst Hero Ideals Noble Tyranny Motivated Tyrants Villain Unjust

Author:Jim Butcher

“Anger is just anger. It isn't good. It isn't bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters. It's like anything else. You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice.”

Matter Use Choices Anger What Matters Harry Dresden

“A bolt of warmth, fierce with joy and pride and gratitude, flashed through me like sudden lightning. I don't care about whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching-they are your family. And they were my heroes.”

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 7-12

People Care Joy Courage Hell Pride Hero Gratitude Don't Care I Don't Care Our Family Warmth Fierce Lightning Dna Bolts My Hero Thomas Raith Karrin Murphy

“Evil isn’t the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it’s a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference.”

Source: Proven Guilty: A Novel Of the Dresden Files

World Needs Real Might Evil Differences Common Hell Stupid Threat Making A Difference Destructive Crusades Harry Dresden

Author:Jim Butcher

“If I was on the road to Hell, at least I was going in style.”

Ifs Hell Style

“Most of the bad guys in the real world don't know that they are bad guys. You don't get a flashing warning sign that you're about to damn yourself. It sneaks up on you when you aren't looking.”

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 7-12

Knows World Real Guy Damn Real World Warning Bad Guys Sneak Harry Dresden Warning Signs

“I don't want to live in a world where the strong rule and the weak cower. I'd rather make a place where things are a little quieter. Where trolls stay the hell under their bridges and where elves don't come swooping out to snatch children from their cradles. Where vampires respect the limits, and where the faeries mind their p's and q's. My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. When things get strange, when what goes bump in the night flicks on the lights, when no one else can help you, give me a call. I'm in the book.”

Source: Proven Guilty: A Novel Of the Dresden Files

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 1-6

“Life can be confusing. Good God, and how. Sometimes it seems like the older I get, the more confused I become. That seems ass-backwards. I thought I was supposed to be getting wiser. Instead, I just keep getting hit over the head with my relative insignificance in the greater scheme of the universe. Confusing, life. But it beats the hell out of the alternative.”

Sometimes Seems Universe Hell Greater Beats Ass Alternatives Supposed To Be Confused Relative Schemes Wiser Backwards Confusing Good God Insignificance

“Death is only frightening from the near side.”

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 7-12

Sides Frightening Dresden Files

Book:Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Source: Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files

“Passion has overthrown tyrants and freed prisoners and slaves. Passion has brought justice where there was savagery. Passion has created freedom where there was nothing but fear. Passion has helped souls rise from the ashes of their horrible lives and build something better, stronger, more beautiful.”

Soul Beautiful Passion Justice Stronger Slave Horrible Prisoner Tyrants Ashes Something Better Harry Dresden Savagery Horrible Life

“Love is patient. Love is kind. Love always forgives, trusts, supports, and endures. Love never fails. When every star in the heavens grows cold, and when silence lies once more on the face of the deep, three things will endure: faith, hope, and love.”

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 7-12

Source: Blood Rites: Book six of The Dresden Files

“I put on the boots and kicked some monster ass.”

Motivational Monsters Ass Boots Karrin Murphy

Book:Summer Knight: Book four of The Dresden Files

Source: Summer Knight: Book four of The Dresden Files

“I know how you feel," I said. "You run into something you totally don't get, and it's scary as hell. But once you learn something about it, it gets easier to handle. Knowledge counters fear. It always has.”

Knows Feels Said Running Know How Hell Easier Scary Handle How You Feel

“Growing up is all about getting hurt. And then getting over it. You hurt. You recover. You move on. Odds are pretty good you're just going to get hurt again. But each time, you learn something. Each time you come out of it a little stronger, and at some point you realize there are more flavors of pain than coffee. Pain does two things: it teaches you, tells you that you're alive. Then it passes away and leaves you changed. And everything that will ever happen to you in life is going to involve it in one way or another.”

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 7-12

“Pain does two things: It teaches you, tells you that you're alive. Then it passes away and leaves you changed. It leaves you wiser, sometimes. Sometimes it leaves you stronger. Either way, pain leaves its mark, and everything important that will ever happen to you in life is going to involve it in one degree or another.”

Way Doe Two Important Sometimes Happens Pain Life Is Teach Alive Changed Degrees Mark Stronger Two Things Wiser Passing Away Dresden Harry Dresden You Changed

“As in 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'?" The skull howled with laughter. "You just got your ass handed to you by a nursery tale?""I wouldn't say they handed me my ass," I said.Bob was nearly strangling on his laughter, and given that he had no lungs it seemed gratuitous somehow. "That's because you can't see yourself," he choked out. "Your nose is all swollen up and you've got two black eyes. You look like a raccoon. Holding a dislocated ass.”

Source: The Dresden Files Collection 7-12

Looks Said Two Eye Three Given Black Laughter Tales Ass Noses Nurse Bob Lungs Skulls Goats Nursery Swollen Black Eyes Strangling Raccoons

Book:Small Favor: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Source: Small Favor: A Novel of the Dresden Files

“I don't have a muse. I have a mortgage.”

Muse Mortgage

Author:Jim Butcher

“Love is another kind of power, which shouldn't surprise you. Magic comes from emotions, among other things.”

Kind Love Is Emotion Healing Magic Surprise Teens Thomas Raith

Book:Blood Rites: Book six of The Dresden Files

Source: Blood Rites: Book six of The Dresden Files

“Then you know that Sam was the true hero of the tale,' Sayna said. 'That he faced far greater and more terrible foes than he ever should have had to face, and did so with courage. That he went alone into a black and terrible land, stormed a dark fortress, and resisted the most terrible temptation of his world for the sake of the friend he loved. That in the end, it was his actions and his actions alone that made it possible for light to overcome darkness.”

Knows World Love Should Made Said Ends Light Age Action Faces Black Dark Darkness Greater Land Hero Terrible Should Have Overcoming Sake Tales Temptation Made It Foe Fortresses True Hero

Author:Jim Butcher

“My brother the vampire, whose kiss was a slow death sentence, had a stable and loving relationship with a girl who was crazy about him. By contrast, I could barely talk to a woman, at least about anything pertaining to a relationship. Given that my only long-term girlfriends had faked their own death, died, and broken free of enslaving enchantments to end the relationship, the empirical evidence seemed to indicate that he knew something I didn't. Keep your life tonight, Harry. Complicate it tomorrow.”

“Souls, I said. I mean, you always wonder if they're real. Even if you believe in them, you still have to wonder: Is my existence just this body? Is there really something more? Do I really have a soul?Uriel's smile blossomed again. You've got it backward, Harry, he said. You are a soul. You have a body.”

Ifs Believe Mean Said Stills Real Soul Body Existence Wonder If You Believe

Book:Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Source: Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files

“The fire of my tribulations had not simply been pain to be endured. It had been an agent of transformation. After all that I'd been through, I'd changed. Not for the worse, I was pretty sure--at least not yet. But only a moron or a freaking lunatic could have faced the things I had and remained unfazed by them.”

Pain Fire Changed Transformation Agents Lunatic Moron Tribulation