“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light.”

“Why would you save me?Because you, mouse, can tell Gregory a story. Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light.'- A Tale of Despereaux, Kate Dicamillo - P. 81”

“Light is precious in a world so dark.”

“The world is dark, and light is precious.Come closer, dear reader.You must trust me.I am telling you a story.”

“the story is not a pretty one. there is violence in it. And cruelty. But stories that are not pretty have a certain value, too, I suppose. Everything, as you well know (having lived in this world long enough to have figured out a thing or two for yourself), cannont always be sweetness and light.”

“Despereaux was reading the story out loud to himself. He was reading from the beginning so that he could get to the end...”

“Like most hearts, it was complicated, shaded with dark and dappled with light.”