“The world will always punish the few people with special talents the rest of us don’t recognize as real.”

“Some people are just born human, the rest of us, we take a lifetime to get there.”

“Ignore how it feels when the only real talent you have is for hiding the truth.”

“And the more she could imagine this island, the less she liked the real world. The more she could imagine the people, the less she liked any real people.”

“Didn't I realize that each of us is a sacred, unique snowflake of special unique specialness?”

“people had been working for so many years to make the world a safe, organized place. nobody realized how boring it would become. with the whole world property-lined and speed-limited and zoned and taxed and regulated, with everyone tested and registered and addressed and recorded. nobody had left much room for adventure, except maybe the kind you could buy. on a roller coaster. at a movie. still, it would always be that kind of faux excitement. you know the dinosaurs aren't going to eat the kids. the test audiences have outvoted any chance of even a major faux disaster. and because there's no possibility of real disaster, real risk, we're left with no chance for real salvation. real elation. real excitement. Joy. Discovery. Invention.the laws that keep us safe, these same laws condemn us to boredom.without access to true chaos, we'll never have true peace.”

“The first step - especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money - the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the art.”