“During the last year she was alive, at age 95, my mother said many times, “It’s so freeing to realize that nothing really matters.” She said it joyously, with relief, as if a burden had been lifted. She also said over and over, “Love yourself". Tollifson, Joan. Nothing to Grasp (p. 174). New Harbinger Publications. Kindle Edition.”

“What is worse? Taking the life of a person who wants to live or taking death from a person who wants to die.”

“Knowledge is your weapon...Kill them with it.”

“Solitude: it's become my trade. As it requires a certain discipline, it's a condition I try to perfect. And yet it plagues me, it weighs on me in spite of my knowing it so well.”

“Whether you have been the target of aggressive behavior or the aggressor, this event does not define you. Every day brings a new opportunity to start again.”

“Still standing. I think this is a pretty good description of where I was at this point.”

“The princess had accepted her fate in an effort to make the best of things, but she refused to do so any longer. It wasn't till she was outside those walls that she'd realized the truth: the only one who could truly break her free was herself. That's why she was back. To claim what was truly hers. Not just the castle, but the province and its throne. Not just for her own happiness, but also for that of her people. Now was the time to strike. It was why she had traveled so far, risked so much, and found strength that she hadn't known she possessed. Queen Ingrid's popularity had never been strong, but in the last few years, the kingdom had gone from indifference to downright terror. She couldn't allow her people to suffer this way any longer. It was time.”

“That's the past for you. Not only does it come back at the most unexpected, and inconvenient, times but it's set in stone.”