“He was hanging from one of the rafters in a laundry up near Frau Diller's. Another human pendulum. Another clock, stopped.”

“July 24, 6:03 A.M.The laundry was warm and the rafters were firm, and Michael Holzapfel jumped from the chair as if it were a cliff...Michael Holzapfel knew what he was doing. He killed himself for wanting to live.”

“I'm just another stupid human.”

“No, I'm not a saint, Sophie. I'm just another stupid human.”

“Can a person steal happiness? Or is just another internal, infernal human trick?”

“You're far from this. This story is just another few hundred pages of your mind.”

“...one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death.”