Veronica Roth

Be careful, though.""Aren't I always?""No, I think the word for how you usually are is 'reckless.

Tris," he says. "What did they do to you? You're acting like a lunatic.""That's not very nice of you to say," I say. "They put me in a good mood, that's all. And now I really want to kiss you, so if you could just relax-

What did you do?_ I mumble. He is just a few feet away from me now, but not close enough to hear me. As he passes me he stretches out his hand. He wraps it around my palm and squeezes. Squeezes, then lets go. His eyes are bloodshot; he is pale. __hat did you do?_ This time the question tears from my throat like a growl. I throw myself toward him, struggling against Peter__ grip, though his hands chafe. __hat did you do?_ I scream. __ou die, I die too_ Tobias looks over his shoulder at me. __ asked you not to do this. You made your decision. These are the repercussions.

I belong to the people I love, and they belong to me--they, and the love and loyaty I give them, form my identity far more than any word or group ever could.

It's strange how time can make a place shrink, make its strangeness ordinary.

We've all started to put down the virtues of the other factions in the process of bolstering our own. I don't want to do that. I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest." He clears his throat. "I continually struggle with kindness.

Since I was young, I have always known this: Life damages us, every one. We can__ escape that damage. But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other

Because inside me is a beast that snarls, and growls, and strains toward freedom.. and as hard as I try, I cannot kill it.

...we have something they want. Valuing knowledge above all else results in a lust for power, and that leads men into dark and empty places. We should be thankful that we know better.

I pull my foot back again, but Four's hands clamp around my arms, and he pulls me away from her with irresistible force. I breathe through gritted teeth, staring at Molly's blood-covered face, the color deep and rich and beautiful, in a way. She groans, and I hear a gurgling in her throat, watch blood trickle from her lips. "You won," Four mutters. "Stop." I wipe the sweat from my forehead. He stares at me. His eyes too wide; they look alarmed. "I think you should leave," he says. "Take a walk." I'm fine," I say. "I'm fine now," I say again, this time for myself.I wish I could say I felt guilty for what I did.I don't.

It's hard to know what's right in this life,' she said. 'We do what we can, but what we really need is mercy. Do you know who taught me that?' A grin. 'You.

Knowledge is power. Power to do evil...or power to do good. Power itself is not evil. So knowledge itself is not evil.

Valuing knowledge above all else results in a lust for power, and that leads men into dark and empty places.

I breathe in. The water will wash my wounds clean. I breathe out. My mother submerged me in water when I was a baby, to give me to God. It has been a long time since I thought about God, but I think about him now. It is only natural. I am glad, suddenly, that I shot Eric in the foot instead of the head.

In my own relationships, I know that I should break up with someone who doesn't encourage me to be strong and make my own choices and do what's best in my life, so if you're dating someone who doesn't want you to be the best person you can be, you shouldn't be dating them.

Dead people can be our heroes because they cant disappoint us later; they only improve over time, as we forget more and more about them.

Want something else more than success. Success is a lovely thing, but your desire to say something, your worth, and your identity shouldn__ rely on it, because it__ not guaranteed and it__ not permanent and it__ not sufficient. So work hard, fall in love with the writing__he characters, the story, the words, the themes__nd make sure that you are who you are regardless of your life circumstances. That way, when the good things come, they don__ warp you, and when the bad things hit you, you don__ fall apart.

How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage another.