Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1)

by Cassandra Clare

I believe that historical fiction is the closest thing we have to time travel.

“One must always be careful of books,” said Tessa, “and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”

“There’s plenty of sense in nonsense sometimes, if you wish to look for it.”

“Whatever you are physically,” he said, “male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy—all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. Whatever the color, the shape, the design of the shade that conceals it, the flame inside the lamp remains the same. You are that flame.”

But there is more to life than not dying.

It is as great a thing to love as it is to be loved. Love is not something that can be wasted.”