“Birds fascinated her. How did they do that, seeming to fly with one mind, each of them able to anticipate what the others would do?”

“In her dream each of the people assembled around her looked like several others, whom she recognized, only they weren't gradually transformed from one into the other but each of them seemed to be inside the others simultaneously and one of them shone through another. And something else was inside them as well, something unexplainable which wasn't within any of them, whose sum total they appeared to be, and this was what fascinated her above all.”

“Memphis—it’s just a bird. Birds fly around, brother. It’s what they do. It’s not following you, and it’s not a sign. Unless you really did give it candy and flowers, in which case you are one strange brother.”

“I am very interested and fascinated how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other.”

“What did you think I would do? Ask her if I could braid her hair after we gave each other facials and painted our toenails? Marcus”

“Sirrah, your Father's dead: And what will you do now? How will you live?Son: As birds do, mother.L. Macd: What with worms and flies?Son: With what I get, I mean; and so do they.”