“It didn't pay to trust another human being. Humans didn't have it, whatever it took.”

“Jemu watched his father disappear. He didn't throw the coconut and he didn't cry. Never again would he know love for another human being that wasn't adulterated by another, contradictory emotion.”

“Human love, human trust, are always perilous, because they break down. The greater the love, the greater the trust, and the greater the peril, the greater the disaster. Because to place absolute trust on another human being is in itself a disaster, both ways, since each human being is a ship that must sail its own course, even if it go in company with another ship.... And yet, love is the greatest thing between human beings.”

“was a clear, pale blue like the eyes of a Siberian husky dog. Human beings just didn't have eyes like that.”

“How should I know why! I didn't invent human beings, Iggy.”

“After all, trust is greater than love, and to truly trust another human-being is rare. Love can exist without trust, but trust cannot exist without love.”