“I'm from southern Arelon, Princess," Ahan said, reaching for some more clams. "To us, round is beautiful. Not everyone wants their women to look like starving schoolboys.”

“Besides—only people from Arelon are taken by the Shaod. It an take Teoish people, but only if they're living in Arelon at the time. Oh, and it takes the occasional Dula as well.""I hadn't noticed.”

“Did I hear your correctly, my dear?" Ahan asked with a shaky voice. "You're going to go into Elantris?""Yes." Sarene said."I need something to drink," Ahan decided, unstoppering his wine flask.”

“Women? Women are like...thunderstorms. They're beautiful to look at, and sometimes they're nice to listen to-but most of the time they're just plain inconvenient.”

“Everyone gets scared, Princess. Even brave men sometimes run the first time they see battle. In armies, that's why there's so much training. The ones who hold aren't the courageous ones, they're the well-trained ones. We have instincts like any other animal.”

“I'm Teoish," Sarene said, successfully spearing something that looked like a marinated piece of shrimp. "We're all this tall.""Father's Teoish too, Kaise," Daorn said. "And you know how tall he is.""But father's fat," Kaise pointed out. "Why aren't you fat too, Sarene?”

“I was thinking that work is like fertilizer in that I'm glad it exists; I just don't ever want to get stuck in it.”