“This is a cruel thing to do because when someone knows your story they know you. And they can hurt you. It's why I give mine away in pieces, even to Cassia.”

“It's called a confidence game. Why? Because you give me your confidence? No. Because I give you mine.”

“All stories have a curious and even dangerous power. They are manifestations of truth -- yours and mine. And truth is all at once the most wonderful yet terrifying thing in the world, which makes it nearly impossible to handle. It is such a great responsibility that it's best not to tell a story at all unless you know you can do it right. You must be very careful, or without knowing it you can change the world.”

“That's the wonderful thing about having someone believe in you. You don't have to do it yourself. I'm on your side; no matter what. That's why I know you can do this.”

“I know why we laugh. We laugh because it hurts, and it's the only thing to make it stop hurting.”

“In stories when someone appears in a poof of green clouds and asks a girl to go away on an adventure, it's because she's special, because she's smart and strong and can solve riddles and fight with swords, and give really good speeches, and... I don't know if I'm any of those things. I don't even know that I'm as ill-tempered as all that. I'm not dull or anything. I know about geography and chess, and I can fix the boiler when my mother has to work. But what I mean to say is: Maybe you meant to go to another girl's house and let her ride on the Leopard. Maybe you didn't mean to choose me at all, because I'm not like storybook girls. I'm short and my father ran away with the army and I wouldn't even be able to keep a dog from eating a bird.”