As a teenager, I put a lot of pressure on myself, and a lot of that, for me, was about finding a moral high ground. As I've grown up, I've decided to abandon that because it made me judgmental and also stressed me out.

Valuing knowledge above all else results in a lust for power, and that leads men into dark and empty places.

she’s not pretty, that word is too small. She is not like the girls I used to stare at, all bend and curve and softness. She is small but strong, and her bright eyes demand attention. Looking at her is like waking up.

Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again.

So you're her brother? Says Linn. I guess we know who got the good genes.

A lot can happen to a person's appearance in three months.

I watch her blond head until it disappears around the bend, and I feel bare, like there's nothing left to protect me against pain. Her absence stings worst of all.