“Think about Praying Mantis. The deadliest ninja predator. Why isn't his animus a lion or a polar bear - two of the most successful killing machines in the animal kingdom? The answer is that these animals would not be right for him. Think how a praying mantis is invisible on a leaf, how they are carnivores who will devour their own species. The female will even eat her own partner once they've mated and, as hatchlings, their first meal is often one of their own siblings. These are the things that matter to Praying Mantis - and if you study his attributes, they are elements that will help you defeat him.”

“If you like pray like a praying mantis or fast like a faxing machine, if you have no faith, you are just wasting your time and energy.”

“Think of me as the praying mantis of the supernatural world.Aren't those the bugs that bite the heads off the males? Link looked skeptical.Yes. Then they eat them”

“At the moment, he kinda knew how the male praying mantis felt when hewas approaching Ms. Mantis, knowing the sex was going to be great but he was going to gethis head bitten off.Ah, well. Some things were worth losing your head.”

“Mama used to tell us a story about a cicada sitting high in a tree. It chirps and drinks in dew, oblivious to the praying mantis behind it. The mantis arches up its front leg to stab the cicada, but it doesn't know an oriole perches behind it. The bird stretches out its neck to snap up the mantis for a midday meal, but its unaware of the boy who's come into the garden with a net. Three creatures—the cicada, the mantis and the oriole—all coveted gains without being aware of the greater and inescapable danger that was coming.”

“A large praying mantis was performing ablutions on the springy stem of the kid's cowlick. The gunslinger snorted laughter-the first in gods knew how long-and set the fire and went after water.”