By the River Piedra I sat down and wept. There is a legend that everything that falls into the waters of this river -- leaves, insects, the feathers of birds -- is transformed into the rocks that make the riverbed. If only I could tear out my heart and hurl it into the current, then my pain and longing would be over, and I could finally forget.

You can only know a good wine if you have first tasted a bad one.

I can choose either to be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure. It's all a question of how I view my life.

"Difficulty" is the name of an ancient tool that was created purely to help us define who we are.

Death is our constant companion, and it is death that gives each person's life its true meaning.

Mari remembered what she had read in the young girl's eyes the moment she had come into the refectory: fear. Fear. Veronika might feel insecurity, shyness, shame, constraint, but why fear? That was only justifiable when confronted by a real threat: ferocious animals, armed attackers, earthquakes, but not a group of people gathered together in a refectory. But human beings are like that,' she thought. 'We've replaced nearly all our emotions with fear.

Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.