“What is this "heart"? If I tear open that chest of yours, will I see it there? If I smash open that skull of yours, will I see it there?~ulquiorra”

“Hearts, you say? You Humans are always so quick to speak of such things. As though you carry your hearts in the very palms of your hands. But this eye of mine perceives all. There is nothing that it overlooks. If this eye cannot see a thing, then it does not exist. That is the assumption under which I have always fought. What is this "heart"? If I tear open that chest of yours, will I see it there? If I smash open that skull of yours, will I see it there?”

“But I also meant that loving someone really opening your heart to them is just asking to have your heart smashed and handed back to you in little pieces.”

“I felt like you could open a door in my hollow, tin chest--just flip it open, easy--and see my heart throbbing, raw and bloody and sore. You could even reach in and squish it if you wanted to. I didn't want anyone getting close enough to open that door and see that mess (250-251).”

“One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew i would never see it again?”

“Open your eyes now. I will. One moment. Has all vanished since? If I open and am for ever in the black adiaphane. Basta! I will see if I can see. See now. There all the time without you: and ever shall be, world without end.”