“I am always correct, Kirk, until I realize I'm not and then change my mind, but then I'm correct again….”

“We're very mindful of the reprehensible things done in God's name and the price paid by humanity for that evil. I cannot tell you the revulsion we feel when we study about the abomination of calling for a believer to be killed for the reason that his or her belief in the Lord is different from your own. Frankly, they deserved near extinction.”

“But [religious faith]'s not extinct, Janet. It's become nearly universal in the fleet and is growing very quickly in the Alliance.""Yes, and that's why I cannot now or I think ever will have a chosen faith. There should be no pressure for the path one takes. Oh, it's no secret that Islam has more of an appeal to me than the others,  but Allah understands this as he understands all things. The notion of faith is, I believe, far more important than the choice of a particular one.""And what of the unfaithful?" asked Justin. "What of them?""If they have faith, I believe they'll have greater understanding of things; if not, I can't order someone to believe. It would be stupid to try and evil to force someone to pretend. As if God wants frightened adherents bowing on trembling knees. The harm all those fanatics did before the Grand Collapse," she said with true rancor, "those idiots I'd shoot, if I had the ability.”

“Not by one's word but by one's actions can you really get to know a man.”

“If we don't hold true to our beliefs--especially now when it's most difficult--then why bother having these beliefs and why ask our brave citizens to die for them?”

“Everything ok?""My brother is just being brotherly again. Connor can't stand that I'm out here. I finally had to promise him that if a man dropped out of the sky, I'd date him.""Really? Bet you didn't count on meeting someone with a helicopter."She opened her mouth and closed it again, momentarily stunned.”

“Clean," Peter said."Can I get a water bottle or something to clean his hands?" I scanned the crowd. He drew my attention back to him with a pull of my hand. "No," Peter said. "I'm...clean."I had missed who Peter was until that very moment...I broke. It wasn't a visible fracture. I didn't sob or explode into anguish. I didn't give in to my vomitus urge that came from the burst of self-loathing. But I shattered nonetheless."Well, you look filthy," I said, hitting redial on his phone and jamming it to my ear.”