“...if you spent all your time being protected, you never got to find out anything new.”

“It's like you live your life not understanding anything at all and then you find out there's a whole new subset of things you don't understand.”

“I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them”

“Love, he realized, was like the daggers he made in his forge: When you first got one it was shiny and new and the blade glinted bright in the light. Holding it against your palm, you were full of optimism for what it would be like in the field, and you couldn't wait to try it out. Except those first couple of nights out were usually awkward as you got used to it and it got used to you.Over time, the steel lost its brand-new gleam, and the hilt became stained, and maybe you nicked the shit out of the thing a couple of times. What you got in return, however, saved your life: Once the pair of you were well acquainted, it became such a part of you that it was an extension of your own arm. It protected you and gave you a means to protect your brothers; it provided you with the confidnece and the power to face whatever came out of the night; and wherever you went, it stayed with you, right over your heart, always there when you needed it.You had to keep the blade up, however. And rewrap the hilt from time to time. And double-check the weight.Funny...all of that was well, duh when it came to weapons. Why hadn't it dawned on him that matings were the same?(From the thoughts of Vishous)”

“You want to protect you children, don't you? You let them out of your body but you never let them all the way out.”

“You could never be certain what you would find in a book that had spent time with someone else.”