The harp sounds at each passing breeze, but that does not mean the tune is masterfully played.

Why is there ever this perverse cruelty in humankind, that makes us hurt most those we love best?

The pain of the flesh is naught to that of the heart

And having once chosen, never to seek to return to the crossroads of that decision-for even if one chooses wrongly, the choice cannot be unmade.

Your dreaming self seeks to tell you something your waking ears will not hear

If you thought better of me, you would not be so surprised

To recongnize that the treachery of one member of a house does not taint all born within it

Well, I was living it, but a shared dream half-lived is a hollow thing

All paths are present, always... and we can but choose among them.

Battle for the sake of honor may be a fine thing for bards to sing of, but it is no way to preserve one's homeland

One must gauge one's trust carefully.

Be aware of people who are standing in your circle who don't smile when you win.

If you go through the hot furnace of hardships, you will be refined like gold.

The desert is harsh, but persevering flowers flourish.

Ignore the mean voice in your head. It never does any good - ever.

Never plan a picnic' Father said. 'Plan a dinner, yes, or a house, or a budget, or an appointment with the dentist, but never, never plan a picnic.

The caprice of our temper is even more whimsical than that of Fortune.

Characterization requires self-knowledge, insight into human nature . . . it is more than impersonation.

One of the best things about writing is how it redeems, not to mention recycles, all of one's prior experiences, including or perhaps especially the failures.

So, in a way, my name being drawn in the reaping was a real piece of luck," says Peeta.

We have become blind to the alternatives to violence.