“I had heard of offices feeling like prisons, but in this case our prison felt, rather anticlimactically, like an office.”
— William Ritter
“To the attention of the New Fiddleham Police Department: You’ve got my middle-C, and I would like it back….Please return Jackaby’s tuning fork. He’s getting even more obnoxious than usual.”
— William Ritter
“Hell of a sight. She let out a scream and just fell to pieces. Can’t say I blame her. Like I said, this sort of thing is not for the female temperament.” He directed that last sentiment at me, making eye contact for the first time.”I dare say you’re right, sir,” I conceded, meeting his gaze. “Out of curiosity, though, is there someone whose temperament you do find suited to this sort of thing? I think I would be most unnerved to meet a man who found it pleasant.”
— William Ritter
“He paused, watching Charlie breathing slowly in and out for a moments. “Were it not for the assistance of your young ‘monster,’ here, you almost certainly would not have survived Swift’s attack. Marlowe is a good man,” Jackaby added, thoughtfully, “but he only knows how to slay dragons. This world is full of dragons-slayers. What we need are a few people who aren’t too proud to listen to a fish.”
— William Ritter
“Oh no. He looks half-dead.” Charlie’s face paled as he eyed the trapper’s wrist and the blood-soaked bandages.”Indeed.” Jackaby nodded. “And if we don’t get him some proper attention soon, he’ll be all dead.”
— William Ritter
“I whispered across the bars to Jackaby as I rose, “Shall I tell them the truth?””Have you killed anyone?” he asked, quietly.”No, of course not!””Then I can’t imagine why you shouldn’t.”
— William Ritter
“There are lots of people out there who are terribly hateful. She could avoid a whole lot of trouble and dress and act as they want her to, but she chooses to be herself. That’s brave. Also – the last time we met she stopped Jackaby from hurting the men who hurt her. They might have killed her. Kindness is an act of bravery. I think, just as hatred is an act of fear. I’m sure can appreciate that not all strength is muscle, Mr. Finstern. She has a strong spirit, and I believe she is brave about the way she chooses to use it.”
— William Ritter
“All due respect to Romeo and Juliet, but I don’t think love is sacrifice at all. Real love is when you let another person make you better. You don’t lose yourself in love—you find yourself there.”
— William Ritter
“Names have power… And he kept the one I gave him. My dear, sweet Jackaby. – Eleanor”
— William Ritter
“We are not the policy department, except for those of us who are,” Jackaby revised.”
— William Ritter
“I read the first few,” said Jackaby. “I’ve instructed my duck to just file the rest directly under P. I left it to him to decide if that was for politics or paranoia.”
— William Ritter
“Monsters are easy, Miss Rook. They’re monsters. But a monster in a suit? That’s basically just a wicked man, and a wicked man is a more dangerous thing by far.”
— William Ritter
“The greatest figures in history are never the ones who avoid failure, but those who march chin-up through countless failures, one after the next, until they come upon the occasional victory.”
— William Ritter
“The trick about falling is to catch yourself before you hit the dirt.”
— William Ritter
“Give me some credit. You don’t get far in my game with your eyes closed. I get it-who doesn’t like a man in uniform? But trust me, men are never worth it. Behind every great man is a woman who gave up on greatness and tied herself into an apron. Romance is for saps, Abbie. You’re sharp, and you’ve got pluck. Don’t waste it.”
— William Ritter
“But trust me, men are never worth it. Behind every great man is a woman who gave up on greatness and tied herself into an apron. Romance is for saps, Abbie. You’re sharp and you’ve got pluck. Don’t waste it.”
— William Ritter