“He had never been a social man. He had shunned causes with contempt and disgust. They were for pig-simple suckers and people with too much time and money on their hands”

“It would perhaps not be amiss to point out that he had always tried to be a good dog. He had tried to do all the things his MAN and his WOMAN, and most of all his BOY, had asked or expected of him. He would have died for them, if that had been required. He had never wanted to kill anybody. He had been struck by something, possibly destiny, or fate, or only a degenerative nerve disease called rabies. Free will was not a factor.”

“Don't think I know you," Harold said, grinning, as they shook. He had a firm grip. Larry's hand was pumped up and down exactly three times and let go. It reminded Larry of the time he had shaken hands with George Bush back when the old bushwhacker had been running for President. It had been at a political rally, which he had attended on the advice of his mother, given many years ago. If you can't afford a movie, go to the zoo. If you can't afford the zoo, go see a politician.”

“He could not even kid himself that everything had not been up front, because it had been. And he hadn’t even done it alone. There were currently ninety-five other fools in this parade.”

“He grasped the knob. It was engraved with a wild rosewound around a revolver, one of those great old guns from hisfather and now lost forever.Yet it will be yours again, whispered the voice of the Towerand the voice of the roses—these voices were now one.What do you mean ?To this there was no answer, but the knob turned beneathhis hand, and perhaps that was an answer. Roland opened thedoor at the top of the Dark Tower.He saw and understood at once, the knowledge fallingupon him in a hammerblow, hot as the sun of the desert thatwas the apotheosis of all deserts. How many times had heclimbed these stairs only to find himself peeled back, curvedback, turned back? Not to the beginning (when things mighthave been changed and time's curse lifted), but to that momentin the Mohaine Desert when he had finally understood that histhoughtless, questionless quest would ultimately succeed? Howmany times had he traveled a loop like the one in the clipthat had once pinched off his navel, his own tet-ka can Gan?How many times would he travel it?"Oh, no!" he screamed. "Please, not again! Have pity! Havemercy!"The hands pulled him forward regardless. The hands of theTower knew no mercy.They were the hands of Gan, the hands of ka, and theyknew no mercy.”

“Never before in his life had he understood how subjective, how plastic, time really is.”

“The silence was a comfortable one, as if they had known each other for a long time. This was a feeling about which Louis had read in books, but which he had never experienced until now.”