“I believe the test of government is the contentment of the people.”

“The less people think of you, the more they will reveal to you or in your presence.”

“They reminded me of the people of my village, their indomitable spirit in the face of disaster, their unshakable belief that no matter what might befall them, life was basically good and the world benign.”

“I am not made for despair”

“It's like a spell. It's so strong I can't fight it. Is love always like this?”

“Shame, however, was what I felt seeping through me as though it stained my white bones black.”

“..while I was happy enough to pray to any god, knowing that they were simply different faces created by men, of one indivisible truth.”