“He shook his head. "The next time I hear a women going on about how neurotic men are, I'm going to remember this. You tell me you like my body, and what do I say? I say, thank you. Then I tell you I like yours and what do I hear? A long lists of grievances.”

“Yes, I know," "And I love to hear you say it, Louis. I need to hear you say it. I don't think anyone will ever say it quite like you do. Come on, say it again. I'm a perfect devil. Tell me how bad I am. It makes me feel so good!”

“Tell me what's going on here. Why can I hear your voice inside my head and why did you say you came to school for me?""I was tired of admiring your legs from a distance.”

“How often do I have to tell you this," I say. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm. Not. Going. Anywhere.”

“He explained how pushing above his threshold for short bursts of time at the beginning of each hill allowed him to breathe more easily on the long climbs. I nodded enthusiastically and understood little of what he was telling me."How about you?" he asked. "How do you structure your training?""I go until I'm tired," I said. "And then I do it again the next day.""That's probably not very effective," John said.”

“You'll have a hard time getting any Alchemist to admit that. But I can say you're okay for an irreverent party boy with occasional moments of brilliance.""Brilliant? You think I'm Brilliant?" He threw his hands skyward. "You hear that world? Sage says I'm brilliant.""That's not what I said!"He dropped the cigarette and stamped it out, giving me a devil-may-care grin. "Thanks for the ego boost. I'm going to go and tell Clarence and Lee all about your high opinion.""Hey, I didn't-"But he was already gone.”