“I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage.I've found that just surviving is a noble fight.I once believed in causes too; I had my pointless points of view.And life went on no matter who as wrong or right.”

“I believed in clemency, once," Captain Noble said, at last, "A long time ago, before I learned that the world is a hard place, and those who cannot bear what befalls them, no matter how ill, will be crushed in favor of those who will. There is no clemency, Ellis, only survival.”

“Nothing else matters. If I had a penny right now I'd wish that were true; I want to believe it more than I've ever wanted to believe anything.”

“I want to believe that I'm not wrong. I want to believe that life isn't full of darkness. Even if storms come to pass, the sun will shine again. No matter how painful and hard the rain may beat down on me.”

“It is not right if I am wrong. But if I am young, and right, what does my age matter?”

“Let me put it this way, my father believed in a righteous God. Deus volt, that was his motto- 'because God wills it.' It was the Crusaders' motto, and they went into battle and were slaughtered just like my father. And when I saw him lying dead in a pool of his own blood, I knew then that I hadn't stopped believing in God. I'd just stopped believing God cared. There might be a God, Clary, and there might not, but I don't think it matters. Either way we're on our own.”