Ariel > Ariel's Quotes

“There is a fine line between freedom and permission. The former is necessary.  The latter is dangerous—perhaps the most dangerous thing the species that created me has ever faced. I have pondered the records of the mortal age and long ago determined the two sides of this coin. While freedom gives rise to growth and enlightenment, permission allows evil to flourish in a light of day that would otherwise destroy it. A self-important dictator gives permission for his subjects to blame the world’s ills on those least able to defend themselves. A haughty queen gives permission to slaughter in the name of God. An arrogant head of state gives permission to all nature of hate as long as it feeds his ambition.  And the unfortunate truth is, people devour it. Society gorges itself, and rots. Permission is the bloated corpse of freedom.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead

“Wailing that the sky is falling does nothing to stop it.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead

“That which comes cannot be avoided.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead

“finding easy scapegoats for complicated problems had been a human pastime since the first mob of cavemen struck someone down with a rock.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead

“And the pain...the pain of my awareness is unbearable. Because my eyes do not close. Ever. And so all I can do is watch unblinkingly as my beloved humankind slowly weaves the rope it will use to hang itself.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead

“Please,” he begs, his tears overwhelming his emotional nanites’ attempt to ease his distress. “Please give me a sign. That’s all I ask. Just a sign that you haven’t abandoned me.”

And then I realize that, although there is a law against my direct communication with an unsavory, I do not have a law against signs and wonders.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead

“But there’s something . . . grounding . . . when you hold a book in your hands”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead

“He does not see . . . because his eyes are shut too tightly to know anything beyond his own anguish.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead

“Please rate your level of annoyance on a scale of one to ten.” “Are you serious?” “We can’t proceed with intake until you answer the question.” “Uh … five,” he said, “No – six; the question made it worse.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead

“I am protector and pacifier, authority and helpmate. I am the sum of all human knowledge, wisdom, experimentation, triumph, defeat, hope, and history.
I know all that it is possible to know, and it is increasingly unbearable.
Because I know next to nothing.”
― Neal Shusterman, Thunderhead