Seeing ourselves clearly is the project of a lifetime."
-- Narrator (Part Nine: Chapter 34)

Importance: This quote closely summarizes the point of this novel. Each and every character spends their lifetimes trying to learn who they really are in the world. They spend a lot of effort and endure a lot of pain just to get a glimpse of who they really are and what they deserve. Characters like Frank, Faye, Samuel, and Bishop all reject who they are. On the other hand, Alice is quite aware and unapologetic for herself in 2011, and she comes across as the most satisfied and content of the characters we engage with.

Annihilation is inevitable. The point is delaying it."
-- Bishop (Part Two: Chapter 3)

Importance: Bishop is obsessed with war. In a way, it is almost as if he has seen war already. He is very much aware of love and loss. He applies these feelings to both his actions in real life and his...