I look for the break in the pattern, the nail that protrudes.
-- Emika (chapter 1)

Importance: Emika explains her method of coding in this quote early on in the novel. This quote is key to understanding why Hideo Tanaka values Emika so much and why he hires her almost immediately. Emika possesses the ability to look at code as a whole and see which concrete part is causing the problem; this is in contrast to Hideo Tanaka's engineers at Henka Games who had to comb through the code with a fine-tooth comb, going every line. They spent weeks on finding something that took Emika seconds to notice. All of this is due to the valuable lessons that her father instilled in her as a child. Thus, the quote also reaffirms how important Emika's father is in her life and how much she misses him in everything she does.

Every locked door has a key...
-- Emika (chapter 14)