“Denna is a wild thing," I explained. "Like a hind or a summer storm. If a storm blows down your house, or breaks a tree, you don't say the storm was mean. It was cruel. It acted according to its na...”

“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”

“Cruelty and fear shake hands together. An unfulfilled vocation drains the color from a man's entire existence.”

“The pride Kaspar had seen in his fathers eyes, despite the admonishing words about foolish acts, had branded the boy for life. 'Never be afraid.' He knew that no matter what, any choice must be mad...”

“The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.”

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they li...”