She did not like seeing her loved ones like this, bent over with sorrow; everything in her wanted to cry out, to thrash and scream at the sight of it. But she knew that great grief came from great love, and that their grief was an honor to her. And she did love them so very much.

— Anne Ursu

She just eyed them coolly, as if they were nothing to her, as if their nothingness surprised and slightly repelled her.

— Anne Ursu

She looked at her shelves, filled with books in which the bad stuff that happened to people was caused by things like witches who lured people into the woods. In a weird way, the world seemed to make more sense that way.

— Anne Ursu

Someone who thinks of possessing a fountain made of a winged baby with water shooting out of its mouth must not have too many troubles.

— Anne Ursu

Something rose in Oscar's chest, like a flower blossoming all at once. It grew until it filled him and threatened to spill over everywhere. The words [he] spoke touched a longing, so deep Oscar hadn't even known it was there.

— Anne Ursu

There are ways to do things, ways to act with people, and I do not understand them. I cannot understand what people mean when they talk. I do not do things right. Furthermore, I do not feel things right. Furthermore, I do not see things right. Furthermore, I am not... I'm not made of the same thing as everyone else.' The baker took in a deep breath. 'I think if you'll look around, my boy,' he said gently, 'you'll find that no one is quite right. But we all do the best we can.

— Anne Ursu

There were so many Jacks she had known, and he had known so many Hazels. And maybe she wasn't going to be able to know all the Jacks that there would be. But all the Hazels that ever would be would have Jack in them, somewhere.

— Anne Ursu

The words kept coming, and he could not stop them, not while Callie was standing there so indecipherable, and so he was going to keep talking until he used up all the words there were and then no one would be able to talk to anyone else anymore and then all anyone would have left were one another's unintelligible faces, and maybe some weird gesturing, too, and it would be all Oscar's fault.

— Anne Ursu

They said words they did not mean, and their conversations seemed to follow all kinds of rules—rules that no one has ever explained to Oscar.

— Anne Ursu

This was not [him]. It was a thing, with all the [him]-less gone from it. Death takes the person and leaves his shell behind, like a hollowed-out tree.

— Anne Ursu