It's easy to become anything you wish . . . so long as you're willing to forfeit your soul. - Gene Luen Yang

You have to know your past if you want to create a future.

Don't you think you're trying a little too hard to hold on to the past?

Maybe, but don't you think you're trying a little too hard to run away from it?

Not everybody's past is like yours, Aang. Some of us have to run away just to... just to live.

Earthbenders! You don't know me, but I know of you. Every child in my Water Tribe Village was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom, and the courageous Earthbenders who guard its borders. Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless. Yes, they have taken away your ability to bend. But they can't take away your courage. And it is your courage they should truly fear. Because it runs deeper than any mine you've been forced to dig, any ocean that keeps you far from home. It is the strength of your hearts that make you who you are. Hearts that will remain unbroken when all rocks and stone have eroded away. The time to fight back is now! I can tell you that the Avatar has returned! So remember your courage, let us fight for our freedom!