"Young men go to war. Sometimes because they have to, sometimes because they want to. Always, they feel they are supposed to. This comes from the sad, layered stories of life, which over the centuries have seen courage confused with picking up arms, and cowardice confused with laying them down." p. 57, ll. 23, ff.

"Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to." p. 93, ll. 9, ff.

"Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else." p. 94, ll. 1-3.

"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair." p. 104, ll. 1, ff.

"Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of...