“I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.”

“I don’t think that God cares about what you think. It’s the actions that count. Actually He doesn’t care what you do as long as you keep Him in mind.”

“So keeping the box closed just keeps you in the dark, not the universe.”

“I think I could be a perfectly decent cat. I've been around cats long enough to know what the rules of being a cat are. When all else fails, wash. And I think I could master the thing that cats do, where they stalk away pretending they meant to do whatever it was in the first place; showing their wounded dignity.”

“The memory of sustenance is a terrible thing. Far worse, I think, than actual starving. Starving just kills you. Longing can gnaw away at you forever.”

“Come to think, perhaps being nearly killed wasn't always a misfortune-so long as you didn't actually die of it.”