“Jenny, all my life I have wanted to do miracles. I have wanted to be holy. I suppose it was ambition or pride or some other unworthy thing. It was not enough for me to conquer the world--I wanted to conquer heaven too.”

“If I were to be made a knight," said the Wart, staring dreamily into the fire, "I should insist on doing my vigil by myself, as Hob does with his hawks, and I should pray to God to let me encounter all the evil in the world in my own person, so that if I conquered there would be none left, and, if I were defeated, I would be the one to suffer for it.""That would be extremely presumptuous of you," said Merlyn, "and you would be conquered, and you would suffer for it.""I shouldn't mind.""Wouldn't you? Wait till it happens and see.""Why do people not think, when they are grown up, as I do when I am young?""Oh dear," said Merlyn. '"You are making me feel confused. Suppose you wait till you are grown up and know the reason?""I don't think that is an answer at all," replied the Wart, justly.Merlyn wrung his hands."Well, anyway," he said, "suppose they did not let you stand against all the evil in the world?""I could ask," said the Wart."You could ask," repeated Merlyn.He thrust the end of his beard into his mouth, stared tragically into the fire, and began to munch it fiercely.”

“I think I ought to have some eddication,"said the Wart, "I can't think of anything to do.”

“If there is one thing I can't stand, it is stupidity. I always say that stupidity is the Sin against the Holy Ghost.”

“My boy, you shall be everything in the world, animal, vegetable, mineral, protista, or virus, for all I care-before I have done with you-but you will have to trust my superior backsight. The time is not yet ripe for you to be a hawk... so you may as well sit down for the moment and learn to be a human being.”

“If God is supposed to be merciful,' [Arthur] retorted, 'I don't see why He shouldn't allow people to stumble into heaven, just as well as climb there”

“They made me see that the world was beautiful if you were beautiful, and that you couldn't get unless you gave. And you had to give without wanting to get.”