Veronica Roth

“I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me--they, and the love and loyaty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could.”

“But when I do feel all the strength go out of me, and I fall to my knees beside the table and I think I cry, then, or at least I want to, and everything inside me screams for just one more k...”

“I think you're still the only person sharp enough to sharpen someone like me.”

“We are not people who touch each other carelessly; every point of contact between us feels important, a rush of energy and relief.”

“It reminds me that no embrace will ever feel the same again, because no one will ever be like her again, because she's gone. She's gone, and crying feels so useless, so stupid, but it's all...”

“Eric called Al's suicide brave, and he was wrong. My mother's death was brave. I remember how calm she was, how determined. It isn't just brave that she died for me; it is brave that she did...”

“Are you asking me to undress, Tris?' A nervous laugh gurgles from my throat. 'Only ... partially”

“No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens.”

“One Choice One Choice, decided your friends. One Choice, defines your beliefs. One Choice, determines your loyalties - Forever. ONCE CHOICE CAN TRANSFORM YOU”

“The person you became with her is worth being.”

“Dead people can be our heroes because they cant disappoint us later; they only improve over time, as we forget more and more about them.”

“Since I was young, I have always known this: Life damages us, every one. We can’t escape that damage. But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other”

“What did you do?” I mumble. He is just a few feet away from me now, but not close enough to hear me. As he passes me he stretches out his hand. He wraps it around my palm and squeezes. Squee...”

“To me, when someone wrongs you, you both share the burden of that wrongdoing - the pain of it weighs on both of you. Forgiveness, then, means choosing to bear the full weight all by yourself...”

“What is it with you today?” says Christina on the way to breakfast. Her eyes are still swollen from sleep and her tangled hair forms a fuzzy halo around her face. “Oh, you know,” I say. “Sun...”

“I didn't know that idiocy caused people to just start spontaneously bleeding from the nose.”

“Leaving us with Eric is like hiring a babysitter who spends his time sharpening knives.”

“Before I leave the bathroom, I pinch my cheeks hard to bring blood to the surface of my skin. It’s stupid, but I don’t want to look weak and exhausted in front of everyone. When I walk back...”

“May the peace of God be with you,” she says, her voice low, “even in the midst of trouble.” “Why would it?” I say softly, so no one else can hear. “After all I’ve done...” “It isn’t about yo...”

“I look out the window again, taking slow, deep breaths into a body too tense to move. And as I stare out at the land, I think that this, if nothing else, is compelling evidence for my parent...”