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“When somebody wants to rule the world,” said Nikolai, “eventually everyone is his enemy.”
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you never knew why other people said what they said or did what they did, because they never even knew themselves. Nobody understands anybody.
“I’m a mammal,” said Bean. “I try to live forever whether I actually want to or not.”
I don’t know a soul who doesn’t maintain two separate lists of doctrines—the ones that they believe that they believe; and the ones that they actually try to live by.
Everybody was stupid about some things.
She did it even though she knew it was stupid. And wasn’t it even stupider to do something stupid that you know is stupid?
Two people in identical situations would never make exactly the same choices.
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“America’s intellectual community has never been very bright. Or honest. They’re all sheep, following whatever the intellectual fashion of the decade happens to be.
Everyone has to be open-minded and tolerant of the things they believe, but God forbid they should ever concede, even for a moment, that someone who disagrees with them might have some fingerhold on truth.”
“That’s what parenting is,” said Mrs. Wiggin. “Indoctrinating your children in the social patterns that you want them to live by.
Childhood memories. Food that tasted like safety and love and getting rewarded for good behavior. A treat—we’re going out.
Do not be reckless with your life, just because it will not be long. But do not guard it overzealously, either.
He had something urgent to live for. And yet he showed no fear of battle. It was as if he knew the day that he would die, and this was not that day.
“Sometimes,” said Petra, “what’s right is not peaceful or passive. What matters is that you do not hide from the consequences. You bear what must be borne.”
“No matter what terrible things happened in his life, no matter what dreadful hungers rose up from his soul, he chose to act on those desires, he chose to do the things he did. He’s responsible for his own actions, and no one else.
