If you need any help with all the ladies, Archie, for my age I am not — Nero Wolfe

"True, it is bad to stab a man in the back, but when one is in a hurry the niceties must sometimes be overlooked."

"No man was ever taken to hell by a woman unless he already had a ticket in his pocket or at least had been fooling around with timetables."

"Dont complicate matters by assuming for me a cupidity and corruption beyond the limits I have set for myself. Youre suffering from an occupational disease. When an international financier is confronted by a holdup man with a gun, he automatically hands over not only his money and jewelry but also his shirt and pants, because it doesnt occur to him that a robber might draw the line somewhere."

"This is Mr. Goodwin, my confidential assistant. Whatever opinion you have formed of me includes him of necessity. His discretion is the twin of his valor."

"It was nothing new for Wolfe to take steps, either on his own or with one or more of the operatives we used, without burdening my mind with it. His stated reason was that I worked better if I thought it all depended on me. His actual reason was that he loved to have a curtain go up revealing him balancing a live seal on his nose."

"What do we do when we have no clues? Do you know?" "No, sir." "We make one."