The Leadership legends have the air of a myth concocted to justify their place in society. - N. K. Jemisin

Mother always said that if one must do something unpleasant, one should do it wholeheartedly and not waste effort on regret.

Very quickly I fell in with others like me—newcomers, dreamers, young people drawn to the city in spite of its dangers because sometimes, for some of us, tedium and familiarity feel worse than risking your life.

I'm tired of being what everyone else has made me, I said. I want to be myself.
Don't be a child.
I looked up, startled and angry, though of course there was nothing to see. What?
You are what your creators and experiences have made you, like every other being in this universe. Accept that and be done; I'm tired of your whining.