Your father always suspected that being pretty-minded is simply the natural state for most people. They want to be vapid and lazy and vain—Maddy glanced at Tally—and selfish. It only takes a twist to lock in that part of their personalities. He always thought that some people could think their way out of it.

In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly.

There was a species of middle pretty who smiled at everything: happy smile, disappointed smile, you're-in-trouble smile.

However stupid the choice seemed, Shay had made it with her eyes open, and had respected Tally's choice to stay.

Alek said, "Do you think I'm being a fool?" "I think you're trying to do something good. But doing good is rarely easy, and no weapon has ever stopped a war.

That was one problem with dramatic exits: Sometimes they wound up making you look like a bubblehead.

Come on, it's almost midnight. Let's go watch them cut the cake.