There are six elephants in our little herd, and Aunt Akello is the matriarch, which means she is the boss of us. An elephant matriarch is like a teacher and a counselor and a rescuer and a yeller and a helper and a nudger and a guider all rolled into one.
-- Ruby ("why")

Importance: The value of a matriarch to her herd is extreme. This quote is important because it demonstrates the many different roles that a matriarch must fulfill.

Her right eye is golden and large and always smiley. Her left eye is white and blank and doesn’t work anymore. A man at the roadside zoo where she used to live poked it with a stick.
-- Ruby ("why")

Importance: Life at a roadside zoo for an elephant is full of misery and confinement. This quote is important because it shows how cruel humans can be to the animals they have control over.

An elephant...
-- Ruby ("aunt akello")