Tam Lin says rabbits give up when they're caught by coyotes [...]. He says they consent to die because their animals and can't understand hope. But humans are different. They fight against death no matter how bad things seem, and sometimes, even when everything's against them, they win.

Power's a strange thing, lad. It's a drug people like me crave it.

Heroes, well, they don't live so long. But they're muy suave, and we all admire them.

Does is make the dragon happy?" Matt asked. "Does is make the dragon happy?" echoed Tam Lin. "Why, I never thought of that. I suppose it does. What other pleasure can a creature have whose life consists of making everyone else miserable?

But I also know that to ignore joy while it lasts, in favor of lamenting one's fate, is a great crime.

Look around you...Feel the wind, smell the air. Listen to the birds and watch the sky. Tell me what's happening in the wide world.

Always choose your bodyguard from another country, they find it harder to make alliance and betray you.