One problem with being a leader, is that even among your friends you are alone, for it is you -- and you alone -- to whom the others look for final guidance.

No sooner had he thought this than he realized what was anchoring his happiness. It was purpose. He knew what he wanted to do. He knew the way he thought things should be, and Mr. Harinton was proving that other people--even adults--could feel the same way. Nicholas had something to aim for now. He might not know what he wanted to be when he grew up, but he knew with absolute certainty how he wanted to be.

In other words, you are our last possible hope. You are our only hope.

Is this what family is like: the feeling that everyone’s connected, that with one piece missing, the whole thing’s broken?

Milligan! Come and tell us why you're so dreadfully glum!" ~ Constance, The Mysterious Benedict Society

Poor Kate,"said Constance,"she's lost her marbles.

Was it worse for him, Reynie wondered, to have felt loved and then rejected? Or was it worse to have always felt alone?