Quotes from Neal Shusterman

Historically, fallen civilizations left behind ruins that vanished into the landscape, only to be rediscovered thousands of years later, becoming almost mystical in nature. But what happens to the institutions and edifices of a civilization that doesn't fall, but evolves beyond its own embarrassment?

What person in their right mind would want to feel that kind of pain?" "Rightmindedness is overrated," Goddard said. "I'd rather have a mind that's clear than one that's 'right.'

You may look at a beautiful garden and marvel at nature's wonder—yet in such a place, nature is nowhere to be found. On the contrary, a garden is a product of loving cultivation and care. With great effort, it is protected from the heartier weeds that nature would use to undermine and choke its splendor.

And everyone was selecting their leaders not by their ability to lead, but by where they stood on this single issue.

SPAM is my god. It's the only deity that can be eaten raw or fried.

In spite of his pain and drug-induced haze, Scythe Faraday smiled. "Yes, your poisons. Are you my apprentice or not?" Citra couldn't help but smile right back at him. "Yes, Your Honor, I am.

My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There's no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.

And everyone was selecting their leaders not by their ability to lead, but by where they stood on this single issue. It was beyond madness.

What must it have been like to believe in something greater than oneself? To accept imperfection and look to a rising vision of all we could never be? It must have been comforting.

There have always been, and will always be, those who exist on the fringe of reason, the Thunderhead told Greyson. They must be set straight early and often.

There is a fine line between freedom and permission.

Never lose your humanity," Scythe Faraday had told him, "or you'll be nothing more than a killing machine." He had used the word "killing" rather than "gleaning." Rowan hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now he understood; it stopped being gleaning the moment one became desensitized to the act.

We are so limited. As a species. As individuals. Not only can't we see the future, we can't even see the present for what it is. We are too clouded by the things we want and the things we fear. But worse than any other blindness is that we can't see the consequences of our actions.

Nice socks - Neal Shusterman

Love, Allie concluded, wasn't blind, it simply saw alternate dimensions.

But my pain must not prevent me from doing the right thing.

we longed for healing and happiness—as if happiness is a state of being. But it's not. Happiness is a vector. It's movement.

Any weed dumb enough to grow tall ain't got no chance. It gets decapitated by the next train that comes through.

Qué irónico, pues, y qué poético, que la humanidad haya creado al Creador por el deseo de tener uno. El hombre crea a Dios, que a su vez crea al hombre. ¿No es el perfecto círculo de la vida? Pero, si tal es el caso, ¿quién ha sido creado a imagen de quién?

If we go through with this, he said, I will make it clear to the High Blade that it was at your insistence. If we fail, and your existence is ended, the blame will be yours and your alone. I can live with that, Citra told him. No, Scythe Constantine pointed out, you won't.

Does he feel remorse for coming at this time of day? Only when he looks at people's faces, so he tries not to. They are not people—they are ideas. They are just extensions of the enemy.

It reminds me that in spite of our lofty ideals and the many safeguards to protect the Scythedom from corruption and depravity, we must always be vigilant, because power comes infected with the only disease left to us: the virus called human nature. I fear for us all if scythes begin to love what they do. —From the gleaning journal of H.S. Curie

For isn't it the mission of a prophet to not just bridge the gap between humanity and deity, but to also bridge the gap between life and death?

I hope you approve of how we've used your image to help these children." Lev finds himself in no position to approve, or disapprove, or even to judge the wisdom of it. How do you judge the brightness of a light when you're the source? A spotlight can never see the shadows it casts. All he can do is go with it, and take his place as some sort of spiritual figure. There are worse things. Having experienced several of them, there is no question that this is better.