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

Alone. It's one of those small words that means entirely too much. Like fear. Or trust.

I do not need the written code of a spiritual belief to act like a decent human being.

Maybe the Merlin was right. Maybe its better to look stupid but strong, than it is to look smart but weak, I don't know. I'm not sure I want to believe that the world stage bears that strong a resemblance to high school.

People love dogs. You can never go wrong adding a dog to the story.

See? This is why I'm not religious. I couldn't possibly keep my mouth shut long enough to get along with everyone else.

I always considered myself a loner. I mean, not like a poor-me, Byron-esque, I-should-have-brought-a-swimming-buddy loner. I mean the sort of person who doesn’t feel too upset about the prospect of a weekend spent seeing no one, and reading good books on the couch. It wasn’t like I was a people hater or anything. I enjoyed activities and the company of friends. But they were a side dish. I always thought I would be happy without them.