I knew by the way he looked at her that he held her in a higher regard than he held even himself. No selfishness or insecurity kept him from seeing the full extent of her goodeness, as it so often does with the rest of us. That kind of love may only be possible in Abnegation. I do not know. My father: Erudite-born, Abnegation-grown. He often found it difficult to live up to the demands of his chosen faction, just as I did. But he tried, and he knew true selflessness when he saw it.

You are far less likely to soil your pants and cry for your mother if you’re prepared to defend yourself.

You don’t always have to smack people in the face with how strong you are

I get up, because I’m supposed to, but if it were up to me, I’d stay in my seat for the rest of time.

I figured I would shoot the bullets out of my nostrils, so I left [the gun] upstairs.

Oh. I just assumed... That because I am so absorbed by him everyone must be too.

I laugh, and it's laughter, not light, that casts out the darkness building within me, that reminds me I am still alive, even in this strange place where everything I've ever known is coming apart.