Can you have variables within triple quotes? If so, how?

The preferred way of doing this is using str.format() rather than the method using %:

This method of string formatting is the new standard in Python 3.0, and should be preferred to the % formatting described in String Formatting Operations in new code.

Example:

wash_clothes = 'tuesdays'
clean_dishes = 'never'

mystring =""" I like to wash clothes on {0}
I like to clean dishes {1}
"""

print mystring.format(wash_clothes, clean_dishes)

One of the ways in Python 2 :

>>> mystring =""" I like to wash clothes on %s
... I like to clean dishes %s
... """
>>> wash_clothes = 'tuesdays'
>>> clean_dishes = 'never'
>>> 
>>> print mystring % (wash_clothes, clean_dishes)
 I like to wash clothes on tuesdays
I like to clean dishes never

Also look at string formatting

• http://docs.python.org/library/string.html#string-formatting

Yes! Starting from Python 3.6 you can use the f strings for this: They're interpolated in place, so mystring would have the desired value after the mystring = ... line:

wash_clothes = 'tuesdays'
clean_dishes = 'never'

mystring = f"""I like to wash clothes on {wash_clothes}
I like to clean dishes {clean_dishes}
"""

print(mystring)

Should you need to add a literal { or } in the string, you would just double it:

if use_squiggly:
    kind = 'squiggly'
else:
    kind = 'curly'

print(f"""The {kind} brackets are:
  - '{{', or the left {kind} bracket
  - '}}', or the right {kind} bracket
""")

would print, depending on the value of use_squiggly, either

The squiggly brackets are:
  - '{', or the left squiggly bracket
  - '}', or the right squiggly bracket

or

The curly brackets are:
  - '{', or the left curly bracket
  - '}', or the right curly bracket

Yes. I believe this will work.

do_stuff = "Tuesday"

mystring = """I like to do stuff on %(tue)s""" % {'tue': do_stuff}

EDIT: forgot an 's' in the format specifier.