“He sailed through the world guided only by the dim lights of impulse and habit, confident that his course would throw up no obstacles so large that they could not be plowed over with sheer force of momentum.”

“It's only through sheer force and luck that she's yet to take over the world.”

“Yes, the world was very strange. But you had to walk through. That was the trick. You had to keep walking through, always, with your chin held high, the way she had passed through the tunnels of the underworld, with only the dim light of the lumpen to guide her. That was the other trick, the other truth: Light would come to you from unexpected places.”

“We’d learned to open up to each other, to trust each other, to face the world together. I firmly believed now that there was nothing we couldn’t tackle together. No hurdle, no obstacle, no setback was so large that it would break us apart, and there was comfort and confidence in that knowledge.”

“Of course I care,” Keath said incredulously. “You’re a friend. Of course, friends don’t usually throw friends into trees.” Keath winced as he forced one of his ribs back into place so it could heal properly.”

“The history of the world is full of men who rose to leadership, by sheer force of self-confidence, bravery and tenacity.”