"I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led to those who help us most to grow
If we let them and we help them in return."
— Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)

"Those who don't try never look foolish."
— Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)

"She dropped her shyness like a nightgown, and in the liquid glare of sunlight on old boards she held up her hands-as if, in the terror of the upcoming skirmish, she had at last understood that she was beautiful. In her own way."
— Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)

"One never learns how the witch became wicked, or whether that was the right choice for her~is it ever the right choice? Does the devil ever struggle to be good again, or if so is he not a devil?"
— Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)

"The body apologizes to the soul for its errors, and the soul asks forgiveness for squatting in the body without invitation."
— Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)

"I know you don't want to hear this but someone has to say it! You are out of control! I mean they're just shoes... let it go!"
— Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)

"People who claim they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us. It's people who claim that they're good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of. "
— Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)

"Remember this: Nothing is written in the stars. Not these stars, nor any others. No one controls your destiny."
— Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)

"Happy endings are still endings."
— Gregory Maguire (Son of a Witch: A Novel)

"Where I'm from, we believe in all sorts of things that aren't true... we call it history."
— Gregory Maguire (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)