I suppose that is why I still write here, to remember the blessings. And all things are blessings, even the hard things.
-- Jacob, as narrator (Section 1 paragraph 2)

Importance: This line reveals Jacob's main motivation for writing: to preserve his memories. It also shows how much Jacob values memories, and how big of an impact they have on him. Jacob is naive at the start of the novel, and has not yet experienced the "hard things" that will happen after the Blackout.

The English fall! The English fall!"
-- Sadie (Section 1 paragraph 4)

Importance: Sadie predicts that the Blackout will occur and destroy English society. This proves her abilities as a seer and soothsayer, and hints at the main conflict of the novel, which will be the aftermath of the destruction of the English world.

All around me, my brothers and sisters move and shift and rustle, like young leaves in a soft spring breeze. It is calming, to hear them. And a...
-- Jacob, as narrator (Section 1 paragraph 3)