“You are brave, kicking a chained prisoner. They must sing heroic ballads about you on winter nights!" (Alanna)”

“You must tell Lady Alanna that sometime. I'd do it from a distance.”

“You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a winter's night a traveler.”

“You must be brave...""Not brave - just different.”

“This is not a book. This is libel, slander, defamation of character. This is not a book, in the ordinary sense of the word. No, this is a prolonged insult, a gob of spit in the face of Art, a kick in the pants to God, Man, Destiny, Time, Love, Beauty . . . what you will. I am going to sing for you, a little off key perhaps, but I will sing. I will sing while you croak, I will dance over your dirty corpse . . . To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not necessary to have an accordion, or a guitar. The essential thing is to want to sing. This then is a song. I am singing.”

“If you want to see the brave, look at those who can forgive. If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love in return for hatred.”