"In high school, in sport, I had a coach who told me I was much better than I thought I was, and would make me do more in a positive sense. He was the first person who taught me not to be afraid of failure."

"THERE'S NO REASON TO SLEEPCURLED UP AND BENT.IT'S NOT COMFORTABLE,IT'S NOT GOOD FOR YOU, AND ITDOESN'T PROTECT YOU FROM DANGER.IF YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT AN ATTACKYOU SHOULD STAY AWAKEOR SLEEP LIGHTLY WITHLIMBS UNFURLED FOR ACTION."

"Occasionally I’ll be sitting somewhere and I’ll be listening to someone perhaps not saying the kindest things about me. And I’ll look down at my hand and I’ll sort of pinch my skin to make sure it still has the requisite thickness I know Eleanor Roosevelt expects me to have."

"All bleed who fight with the sword. All confront, with greater or lesser difficulty, the worship of their own flesh. The swordmaiden faces particular obstacles in this matter: she will have seen, in the temples and elsewhere, many images of unscarred women."

"Sarra looked at her daughter and said reproachfully, 'Speaking of war, I never raised you to be always fighting and killing. That's not woman's work.'It's needful, Ma. You taught me a woman has to know how to defend herself.'I never!' gasped Sarra, indignant.'You taught me when you were murdered in your own house,' Daine said quietly."

"The radiance of this beautiful scene shed a cruel light on every past horror, every insult tolerated, every unspoken retort, every gesture of rejection. Marianne was grieving, and her boundless grief made her regret every moment of cowardice in her life."