Madeleine

“The present is a battleground . . . where rival what-ifs compete to become the future 'what-is.' How does one what-if prevail over its adversaries? The answer . . . 'Military and political power, of course!' is a postponement, for what is it that directs the minds of the powerful? The answer is 'belief.' Beliefs that are ignoble or idealistic; democratic or Confucian; Occidental or Oriental; timid or bold; clearsighted or delusional. Power is informed by belief that this path, and not another, must be followed.”
― David Mitchell, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever.”
― Alfred Tennyson

“Whenever you think or you believe or you know, you're a lot of other people: but the moment you feel, you're nobody-but-yourself.”
― e.e. cummings

“The soul is a verb." He impales a lit candle on a spike. "Not a noun.”
― David Mitchell, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet