James

“Being a mosaic does not necessarily mean scattering into pieces, answered Elder Innokenty. It is only up close that each separate little stone seems not to be connected to the others. There is something more important in each of them, O Laurus: striving for the one who looks from afar. For the one who is capable of seizing all the small stones at once. It is he who gathers them with his gaze. That, O Laurus, is how it is in your life, too. You have dissolved yourself in God. You disrupted the unity of your life, renouncing your name and your very identity. But in the mosaic of your life there is also something that joins all these separate parts: it is an aspiration for Him. They will gather together again in Him.”
― Evgenij Vodolazkin, Laurus

“Or, your body has become unsuitable, prepare to leave it; know that this shell is imperfect.”
― Evgenij Vodolazkin, Laurus

“Die before you die. There is no chance after.”
― C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces : A Myth Retold

“Each of us repeats Adam’s journey and acknowledges, with the loss of innocence, that he is mortal. Weep and pray, O Arseny. And do not fear death, for death is not just the bitterness of parting. It is also the joy of liberation.”
― Evgenij Vodolazkin, Laurus