“He had no strength for any other war than his own solitary struggle to keep alive.”
“A magician is strong because he hurts more than others. His wound is his strength.”
“He could have had his choice of any woman in the district. And he chose solitude. Not solitude – that sounds too peaceful. More like solitary confinement.”
“She was nothing. He had everything. And for what little it was worth, he was embarrassed by his own strength.”
“In that moment he had loved her far more than he had ever done when they were together and free. Also he knew that somewhere or other she was still alive and needed his help.”
“A man lives his life only when he is marching, i thought, when he keeps marching onwards at any price. When he stops marching onwards, he decays. The joy of life is the joy of the experience that comes from feeling one's own strength.”