“Stick a shovel in the ground almost anywhere and some horrible thing or other will come to light.”

“Stick a shovel into the ground almost anywhere and some horrible thing or other will come to light. Good for trade, we thrive on bones; without them there'd be no stories.”

“What restless woman can resist a man with a shovel in one hand and a glowing rose bush in the other, and a moderately crazed glitter in his eyes that might be mistaken for love?”

“There's nothing like a shovel full of dirt to encourage literacy.”

“He doesn't understand yet that guilt comes to you not from the things you've done, but from the things that others have done to you.”

“There were a lot of gods. Gods always come in handy, they justify almost anything.”

“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought of opening a novel before. There's nothing like a shovelful of dirt to encourage literacy.”