“There’s nothing in the mechanical world that matches the sophistication, complexity, and multi-tasking ability of the foot”

“According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, in 2006, one out of six people or 43.1 million Americans suffered foot ailments. Among cultures that don’t wear shoes, approximately 2 percent of the population has foot-related injuries, compared to 70 percent among shoe-wearing societies.”

“The truth is that running in shoes is high impact, heel-centric, promotes bad form, is relatively unstable and inflexible, tends to weaken rather than strengthen your feet, and dampens your connection to the world around you. In contrast, barefoot running is low-impact, toe-centric, promotes good form, enhances stability and adaptability, strengthens your feet in miraculous ways, and provides delightful sensory and spiritual connections to the earth.”

“You need to be willing to wipe the slate clean and admit that you may not know everything about running. This is the best advice I can give for staying injury-free”

“I think one of the prophets stuttered when he dictated your specs,” Jal said, snickering. “Or the gene-splicer was daydreaming about his high-status trueborn love and he botched your programming.”

“My nurture mother never would have reset me. And I was never a kit. Or a ‘female.’ I might be a non-human, but I’m not an animal. I’m a girl.”

“There’s nothing quite as frightening as someone who knows they are right.”