“You say, ‘avoiding confrontation.’ I call it running from a fight.” “Voleta, my dear, all society will ever do is throw fights out in front of you. It exists to goad you and get your hackles up. But if you take a swing at every bully that steps into your path, you’re going to end up with a lot of black eyes, and you’re going to make a lot of enemies. You need friends where you’re going. You need allies to shepherd you into Marya’s privileged sphere. If you want to have any chance of seeing her, of saving her, you have to be cordial, pleasant, and contrite.”
