Emily’s chestnut-colored hair was thick and shiny as silk floss—an extraordinary female endowment. But like most female endowments, it was generally … - M. K. Hobson

Credomancy may seek to exploit the human desire for a tidy narrative where an unblemished romantic hero vanquishes all obstacles, but such ideals have very little to do with reality. Reality requires pragmatism and compromise. Men fail. Women fail. There are no heroes, only human beings who somehow find the strength to behave heroically, no matter how many times they have been unable to do so in the past. If you understand that, Miss Edwards—if you truly and deeply understand that, then you will understand the most powerful thing anyone with a heart can understand.
"And what's that?" Emily said softly.
"That love is not enough. But it's a start."

I don’t think that’s the answer he was looking for. It’s not the answer I was looking for. But maybe it’s the right one.

What kind of idiot do you think I am?
"I have no idea what kind of idiot you are," Miss Jesczenka said. "That's why I'm asking."