“They'll be fine," Wickersham said. "Practice makes perfect."I had to ask. "You practice running away?""We knew we'd make enemies. Other organizations have fire drills; we have oh-shit-someone-found-our-ass drills.”

“Meditation practice is like piano scales, basketball drills, ballroom dance class. Practice requires discipline; it can be tedious; it is necessary. After you have practiced enough, you become more skilled at the art form itself. You do not practice to become a great scale player or drill champion. You practice to become a musician or athlete. Likewise, one does not practice meditation to become a great meditator. We meditate to wake up and live, to become skilled at the art of living.”

“For only that which we knew and practiced at age 15 will one day constitute our attraction. And one thing, therefore, can never be made good: having neglected to run away from home.”

“Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.”

“We had it drilled into us time and time again: 'If someone above you falls, grip tightly to the vertical rope and cradle that person in your arms until help can get to you.'...If someone fell down on me I swear I would have bitten him on the ass and would keep on biting until he got off onhis own.”

“We don't all have Duracell Bunnies, you know?" he said, practically growling in her ear and making her core muscles clench, disappointed to have nothing to grip onto. "Some of us have to work out our...frustration...in other ways.”