“For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terrorwhich we are barely able to endure, and it amazes us so,because it serenely disdains to destroy us.Every angel is terrible.”

“We love the beautiful and serene, but we have a feeling as deep as love for the terrible and dark.”

“Some models of self-control are able to achieve their serenity easily because the soul fires never burn brightly to begin with.”

“God will not allow us to be overwhelmed by temptation, but with it He will provide a way of escape so that we will be able to endure it.”

“If we were not all so interested in ourselves, life would be so uninteresting that none of us would be able to endure it.”

“Angels are violent creatures.” “So I noticed. I used to think they were all sweet and kind.” “Why would you think that? Even in your Bible, we’re harbingers of doom, willing and able to destroy entire cities. Just because we sometimes warned one or two of you beforehand doesn’t make us altruistic.”