“It wasn’t bravery that ushered me into that cave, it was a mixture ofstupidity, guilt and the brashness of youth. A deadlier combination therenever was.”

“Either you’re with me or you’re against me. I can’t afford to be looking over my shoulder all the time waiting for you to stick a knife in my back.”

“It dawned on me then that I didn’t understand anything half as wellas I thought I did.”

“You aren’t exactly best friends with the truth yourself.”

“Everyone has an ulterior motive. Everyone wants something, and everyone is willing to do whatever they haveto in order to get it. Regardless of who winds up hurt in the process.”

“Yet beauty is a shallow thing. So fleeting. Strength, intelligence, spirit, these things can be far more appealing than what lies on the surface of a thing. And power, of course. For power, true power, can last forever.”

“I like plain old you.”