“But you can't stay in the dark for so long. Something inside of you starts to fade and you become like a starving person, crazy-hungry for light.”

“If you live in the dark long enough, you start to forget what light looks like.”

“Manic depression is like tunnel vision for the good things. But the trouble really begins when you're out of the tunnel. The light is so bright that you start to doubt if it wouldn't be better for you just to stay in the darkness ..”

“Always seek for balance in your life: If you stayed long in the darkness, walk long in the light; if you talked too much, stay silent for a good while; if you climbed the high mountains, hike long on the plains! Balance everything!”

“There is so much darkness in Ember, Lina. It's not just outside, it's inside us, too. Everyone has some darkness inside. It's like a hungry creature. It wants and wants and wants with a terrible power. And the more you give it, the bigger and hungrier it gets.”

“Eating is an absolute, repetitive activity. The same as love. Once you start you can't stop. So if you can't eat when you're hungry, it's worse than being stricken with the gravest illness.”