I don't know. Sometimes, I feel nothing, and I'm so afraid. Afraid I'll stop feeling anything at all. I'll just slip away inside myself...I just need to feel something" A Great and Terrible Beauty, Page 177, by
Libba BrayTell my brother to remember his heart in all things. That is where his honor and his destiny will be found. Tell him.
Libba BrayThere are always rebels and radicals, I suppose,' McCleethy allows. 'Those who live on the fringes of society. But what do they contribute to the society itself? They reap its rewards without experiencing its costs. No. I submit that loyal, hardworking citizens who push aside their own selfish desires for the good of the whole are the backbone of the world. What if we all decided to run off and live freely without thought or care for society's rules? Our civilization would crumble. There is a joy in duty and a security in knowing one's place...It is the only way.
Libba BrayShe was too muchโfor Zenith, Ohio. Sheโd tried at times to make herself smaller, to fit neatly into the ordered lines of expectation. But somehow, she always managed to say or do something outrageousโsheโd accept a dare to climb a flagpole, or make a slightly risquรฉ joke, or go riding in cars with boysโand suddenly she was โthat awful OโNeill girlโ all over again.
Libba Bray