More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“The Chinese Exclusion Act was a law designed to keep more Chinese from coming here once they’d finished building our railroads. They couldn’t bring their families over. They weren’t protected by our laws. They were on their own.” “Doesn’t sound terribly American.” “On the contrary, it’s very American,” Will said bitterly.
“How do you invent a religion?” Evie asked. Will looked over the top of his spectacles. “You say, ‘God told me the following,’ and then wait for people to sign up.”
“The line between faith and fanaticism is a constantly shifting one,” Dr. Poblocki said. “When does belief become justification? When does right become rationale and crusade become crime?”
But what was the point of living so quietly you made no noise at all? “Oh, Evie, you’re too much,” people said, and it wasn’t complimentary. Yes, she was too much. She felt like too much inside all the time. So why wasn’t she ever enough?
“There is no greater power on this earth than story.” Will paced the length of the room. “People think boundaries and borders build nations. Nonsense—words do. Beliefs, declarations, constitutions—words. Stories. Myths. Lies. Promises. History.”
“People tend to think that hate is the most dangerous emotion. But love is equally dangerous,”
There’s nothing more terrifying than the absoluteness of one who believes he’s right,”
“When the world moves forward too fast for some people, they try to pull us all back with their fear,”
“People will believe anything if it means they can go on with their lives and not have to think too hard about it.”
Often, the monsters we create in our imagination are not nearly as frightening as the monstrous acts perpetrated by ordinary human beings in the aim of one cause or another.
