“if you don't first accept the gift as it is—if you change what you hear, or change what you learn—doesn't that make it weak somehow?" "Why should it?" Mr. Williams asked softly. "As I believe I've said to you before, the gift is not what you hear, or learn… the gift is being able to hear and learn. These things are yours from the moment they come and you can shape the tune, or the clay, or the painting, or whatever it is, because it belongs to you. It's what I've always done with my music.”

“Since your father has escaped my justice, it is you who must hear my words." "Words. You keep saying..." "Because that was the gift your father gave to me. And the curse that ruined me as well, changed my life to wretched misery. There are hours yet before the guard comes - nay, eons. An eternity, in fact. This is my time, Miranda. Now you will have your words back: before I kill you, you will hear my tale... and you will know what you have done.”

“I don't care what kind of grades they give you at Delcroix. I wanted you to go there so you'd have a chance to learn how to use your gifts, and be confident enough to fight for what you believe in.”

“When you listen, it's amazing what you can learn. When you act on what you've learned, it's amazing what you can change.”

“You [I] have control over three things – what you [I] think what you [I] say, and how you [I] behave. To make a change in your [my] life, you [I] must recognize that these gifts are the most powerful tools you [I] possess in shaping the form of your [my] life.”

“What has been seen cannot be unseen, what has been learned cannot be unknown. You cannot change the past, but you can learn from it. You can grow from it. You can be made stronger. You can use that strength to change your life, to change your future.”