Grief is not as heavy as guilt, but it takes more away from you.

I should probably be afraid. But instead a hysterical laugh bubbles inside me, because I just remembered something: Maybe I can’t hold a gun. But I have a knife in my back pocket.

Dead people can be our heroes because they can't disappoint us later; they only improve over time, as we forget more and more about them.

Do I look like I’ve been crying?’ I say. ‘Hmm.’ He leans in close, narrowing his eyes like he’s inspecting my face. A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. Even closer, so we would be breathng the same air- if I could remember to breathe. ‘No, Tris,’ he says. A more serious look replaces his smile as he adds, ‘You look tough as nails.

No selfishness or insecurity kept him from seeing the full extent of her goodness, as it so often does with the rest of us. That kind of love may only be possible in Abnegation. I do not know.

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

I think it's a human tendency that's been around for a while to try to be as good as possible to prove your worth.