“Glenn used to say the reason you can't really imagine yourself being dead was that as soon as you say, 'I'll be dead,' you've said the word I, and so you're still alive inside the sentence. And that's how people got the idea of the immortality of the soul - it was a consequence of grammar.”

“In order to know that you're dead, you have to be conscious. . . but if you're conscious, then you're not dead. the only thing you can know is being alive, so that's eternity.”

“I feel you. Inside. In the parts of me I crushed the night my mother died. No matter how I tried to keep you out, you got in and I couldn't let you leave me behind. So listen to me when I say this. My life is yours. You're the reason I'll stay alive. The only goddamn reason.”

“This is your grave.""Grave? You've got to be kidding. I'm still alive.""Burying dead people isn't as much fun," Saeki said, feeling this was extremely obvious.”

“I'm alive,' said Shadow. 'I'm not dead. Remember?''You're not dead,' Laura said. 'But I'm not sure you're alive, either. Not really.”

“All I'm saying is that, unless you're immortal, nothing can really belong to you. The best you can hope for is to hold something for a while, but in the end you've got to give it back.”