“What chance combination of shadow and sound and his own thoughts had created it?”

“Language is the expression of ideas by means of speech-sounds combined into words. Words are combined into sentences, this combination answering to that of ideas into thoughts.”

“Words. Words. I play with words, hoping that some combination, even a chance combination, will say what I want.”

“There is no such thing as chance. Everything occurs as a result of cause and effect; what you do now will create your own future.”

“What are you grinning at?' Nal muttered. As if in response, the gull spread its wings and opened its shadow over the miniature ruins of the castle - too huge, Nal thought, and vaguely humanoid in shape - and then it flew off, laboring heavily against the wind. In the soft moonlight this created the disturbing illusion that the bird had hitched itself to Nal's shadow and was pulling his darkness from him.”

“An author who sets his reader on sounding the depths of his own thoughts serves him best.”