The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit. Of course, Tally thought, you’d have to feed your cat only salmon-flavored cat food for a while, to get the pinks right.

What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful.

Shay sometimes talked in a mysterious way, like she was quoting the lyrics of some band no one else listened to.

The lie took form as she spoke, pulling on as many strands of truth as it could reach.

Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.

When she awoke, the world was on fire.

I spilled more times than a glass of milk on a roller coaster.

The Rusty Ruins were the remains of an old city, a hulking reminder of back when there'd been way too many people, and everyone was incredibly stupid. And ugly.

But you weren't born expecting that kind of beauty in everyone, all the time. You just got programmed into thinking anything else is ugly.

The very idea of making shoes by hand boggled her mind.

We're not freaks, Tally. We're normal. We may not be gorgeous, but at least we're not hyped-up Barbie dolls.

The irony of life is that those who wear masks often tell us more truths than those with open faces.

Be a FRIEND and stop worrying about having any

My highest calling is to love endlessly.

He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it, namely, that, in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.

After school, I'd wait for someone to pick me up and no one would, so I'd be like, 'I guess I'll walk home.' I had to be a hustler, because nobody did anything for me.

Know then, unnumber'd Spirits round thee fly, The light Militia of the lower sky.

The idea of a rational bureaucracy, of skill, merit, and consistency, is essential to all modern states.

I don't wanna be afraid, I wanna wake up feeling beautiful today, and know that I'm okay.

I've come to understand that the truth isn't really what's important...what really matters is what people agree is the truth. -Greymane

Before you dismiss a beginner's work, remember how much you sucked when you started. You probably sucked worse, actually.