Courageous? Courageous would have been admitting weakness and leaving Dauntless, no matter what shame accompanied it. Pride is what killed Al, and it is the flaw in every Dauntless heart. It is in mine.

If you actually succeed in creating a utopia, you've created a world without conflict, in which everything is perfect. And if there's no conflict, there are no stories worth telling - or reading!

I feel bare. I didn't realize I wore my secrets as armor until they were gone and now everyone sees me as I really am.

Noise and activity are the refuges of the bereaved and the guilty.

She taught me all about real sacrifice. That it should be done from love, not misplace disgust for another person's genetics.

One piece of advice I have is: Want something else more than success. Success is a lovely thing, but your desire to say something, your worth, and your identity shouldn’t rely on it, because it’s not guaranteed and it’s not permanent and it’s not sufficient. So work hard, fall in love with the writing — the characters, the story, the words, the themes — and make sure that you are who you are regardless of your life circumstances. That way, when the good things come, they don’t warp you, and when the bad things hit you, you don’t fall apart.

Being honest doesn't mean you say whatever you want, wherever you want. It means that what you choose to say is true.