He grunted. 'You have the courage of a warrior.' I watched him turn away and gather the clothes from the ground. He thought me courageous? But I was terrified - always terrified. 'No,' I said flatly. 'I don't." He paused from stuffing the invaluable robe between two bales. 'Are you frightened now?' I nodded, shame flushing my skin. 'Is it going to stop you?' 'No.' 'That is the courage of a warrior.

It is not often that the real world conjures worse than what we can imagine.

A man who lifts his chin in pride will fail to see the chasm at his feet.

It is also important to understand that a hidden nature is not always an evil nature

You are wrong when you say there is no power in being a woman. When I think of my mother and the women in my tribe, and the hidden women in the harem, I know there are many types of power in this world...I found power in accepting the truth of who I am. It may not be a truth that others can accept, but I cannot live any other way. How would it be to live a lie every minute of your life? I don't think I could do it.

There was a saying that the strength of a man’s steel was only known under the hammer of circumstance. If anyone had asked me a few hours ago, I would have said that nearly five years of boyhood had hammered me into constant fear and excessive caution. But now I realised it had done the opposite. It had shaped me into someone who stepped forwards and reached for what she wanted. It was too late for me to tuck my hands behind my back and wait like a good woman.

History does not care about the suffering of the individual. Only the outcome of their struggles. -P 462 Master Tozay to Eona