Bug

“Steve looked through the scope. The house was quiet now. Thin trickles of smoke leaked from the windows. As he watched, Mrs McGillicutty staggered outside. She was bloody and dazed, but very much alive. “Hey, there’s the old lady! What’s that she’s holding?”
Carolyn took the scope and looked for herself, then handed it back. “Muffins. She’s got muffins.”
― Scott Hawkins, The Library at Mount Char

“Lotus flowers blossom while rooted in mud, a reminder that beauty and grace can rise above something ugly.”
― Lisa Genova, Inside the O'Briens

“No matter how much violence or how many bad things we have to go through, I believe that the ultimate solution to our conflicts, both internal and external, lies in returning to our basic or underlying human nature, which is gentle and compassionate.”
― Dalai Lama XIV, An Appeal by the Dalai Lama to the World: Ethics Are More Important Than Religion

“The whole undertaking was criticized in some circles as being too "audacious." And perhaps it was. But if it hadn't been audacious, it wouldn't have been to Shackleton's liking. He was, above all, an explorer in the classic mold—utterly self-reliant, romantic, and just a little swashbuckling.”
― Alfred Lansing, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage