She was up and down—from fire and brimstone to smoke and ashes.

One of the reasons that metaphor and symbolism are important in books is because they are also important to life. Like, for example say you're in high school and you're a boy and you say to a girl: "Do you like anyone right now?" - that's not the question you're asking. The question you're asking is, "do you like me right now."

You are a side effect," Van Houten continued, "of an evolutionary process that cares little for individual lives. You are a failed experiment in mutation.

This squirrel is inadequately afraid of humans! Squirrel, I am a threat to you! We are enemies! Please get off my bench! Oh, god! Oh, god! Don't touch me—oh, god!

People are different when you can smell them and look up close, you know?

It's hard to believe in coincidence, but it's even harder to believe in anything else.

You say you're not special because the world doesn't know about you, but that's an insult to me. I know about you.