Joy

“Can you see air you breathe? Can you see the force that moves the tides or changes the seasons or sends the birds to a winter haven?" Her eyes welled. "Can Rome with all its knowledge be so foolish? Oh Marcus, you can't carve God in stone. You can't limit him to a temple. You can't imprison him on a mountaintop. Heaven is his throne; earth, his footstool. Everything you see is his. Empires will rise and empires will fall. Only God prevails.”
― Francine Rivers, A Voice in the Wind

“Please be aware that your exam scores provide you only with your entrance into the school. They do not ensure your ability to stay.”
― Anne Osterlund, Academy 7

“Rome tolerated every abominable practice, embraced every foul idea in the name of freedom and the rights of the common man. Citizens no longer carried on deviant behavior in private, but pridefully displayed it in public. It was those with moral values who could no longer freely walk in a public park without having to witness a revolting display.
What happened to the public censors who protected the majority of citizenry from moral decadence? Did freedom have to mean abolishing common decency? Did freedom mean anyone could do anything they wanted anytime they wanted, without consequences?”
― Francine Rivers, A Voice in the Wind

“But there was a constant willingness to take out a
topic, test it, shake it apart, mix up the pieces, and test them again.”
― Anne Osterlund, Academy 7