A rake among scholars, a scholar among rakes.
-- David (chapter 1)

Importance: David discovers this Lord Byron quotation during his time at Syracuse University. He uses the quotation as inspiration for the formation of his identity and persona during those years. The quotation represents the value that David places both on academia and sexuality, and these two subjects continue to dictate his motivations throughout the narrative.

You say so yourself. You are a whoremaster by nature, you are a polygamist by nature, there is even the rapist in you.
-- Birgitta (chapter 1)

Importance: Birgitta says this to David during their final conversation. David and Birgitta's relationship has been based almost entirely on sex. David's time in London has been mostly dominated by the pursuit of his sexual appetites, and Birgitta comments on this in this quote. David's sexual escapades in London then set the tone for his persistent, internal sexual appetites.

I am not at all accustomed to...
-- David (chapter 1)