“When happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on me the most delightful sensations.”

“By the power bestowed in me by the Ministry of Silly Underpants . . .”

“The stag had been showing me my strength-not just the price of mercy but the power it bestowed. And mercy was something the Darkling would never understand.”

“I felt emotions of gentleness and pleasure, that had long appeared dead, revive within me. Half surprised by the novelty of these sensations, I allowed myself to be borne away by them, and forgetting my solitude and deformity, dared to be happy. Soft tears again bedewed my cheeks, and I even raised my humid eyes with thankfulness towards the blessed sun, which bestowed such joy upon me.”

“It must be that there is something in the hearts of human beings, some natural fluid perhaps, that insists on happiness, even confronted with the most powerful arguments against it.”

“A smile remains the most inexpensive gift I can bestow on anyone and yet its powers can vanquish kingdoms.”