“Theory shows a way to a goal, but it is not the goal.Theory offers security, but there are no secure theories.Theories shed light on the past, but where there is light, there are shadows.Theory building is an enterprise of such noble stature that the only human activity held in higher regard is theory destruction.”

“It proved once again the theory that no security system is a match for a stupid employee.”

“No one can build his security upon the nobleness of another person.”

“Packing light' wasn't possible. 'Packing light enough not to stall the train engine' seemed a noble goal to Evie's way of thinking.”

“I thought of my mother (...). Freud wrote that no man is secure in the love of his mother can ever be a failure. Well, I had been busy proving that theory wrong.”

“Probably the only place where a man can feel really secure is in a maximum security prison, except for the imminent threat of release. The problem of recidivism ought to have shown young men like John Greenaway just what sort of a notion security is, but there is no indication that he would understand it. Security is when everything is settled, when nothing can happen to you; security is the denial of life. Human beings are better equipped to cope with disaster and hardship than they are with unvarying security, but as long as security is the highest value in a community they can have little opportunity to decide this for themselves.”