...What did I have to lose Would they really bother giving me another life sentence? I already have six!" Harry paused here a moment, reflecting, and… - Steve Toltz

The worst thing you can say about someone in a society like ours is that they can't hold down a job. It conjures images of unshaven losers with weak grips watching sadly as the jobs slip free and float away. There's nothing we respect more than work, and there's nothing we denigrate more than the unwillingness to work, and if someone wants to dedicate himself to painting or writing poetry, he'd better be holding down a job at a hamburger restaurant if he knows what's good for him.

I think that's the real loss of innocence: the first time you glimpse the boundaries that will limit your own potential.

When people think your days are numbered, they're really very nice to you. It's only when you're trying to get on in the world that they bring their claws out.