And if you're going to criticize me for not finishing the whole thing and tying it up in a bow for you, why, do us both a favor and write your own damn book, only have the decency to call it a romance instead of a history, because history's got no bows on it, only frayed ends of ribbons and knots that can't be untied. It ain't a pretty package, but then it's not your birthday that I know of so I'm under no obligation to give you a gift.

Human beings are free except when humanity needs them.

You’re not a human being until you value something more than the life of your body. And the greater the thing you live and die for the greater you are.

To have a choice at all is to be free - even when the choice is between two terrible things.

Sometimes happiness consists of finding the right balance of misery.

Your work is first, learning is first, winning is everything because without it there is nothing.

Miro, I'm so sorry. I always felt such pity for you humans because you could only think of one thing at a time and your memories were so imperfect and . . . now I realize that just getting through the day without killing somebody can be an achievement." It gets to be a habit. Most of us manage to keep our body count quite low. It's the neighborly way to live.