“Don't imagine she trembles over the dissecting table either, Smith. She has nerves of ice. Real Good can be as ruthless as Evil when it wants to accomplish something, let me tell you.”

“You have ruthlessness in your bones and ice in your heart, Clarissa. Don't tell me any differently.”

“You don't want to let go, but don't want to be hurt, either. It's not a great place to be but what can I tell you?”

“She said there was no more good or evil in this world than we imagine there to be, either out of greed or out of innocence. Or sometimes madness.”

“There's some folks who don't eat like us," she whispered fiercely, "but you ain't called on to contradict 'em at the table when they don't. That boy's yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear?”

“Let me tell you something right now, something that I don't want you ever to forget: Starbucks is an abomination."Lex was speechless. She now believed that there was no way in a million years this man could possibly be a blood relative.”