1
I used to think fear either numbed or nudged. Now I knew fear did neither. Fear was a key that fit every person's hollow spaces---those things that kept us cold at night and that place where we retreated when no one was looking---and all it could do was unlock what was already there.Roshani Chokshi
2
Fear was a reminder that even the insubstantial could kill. But insubstantial meant it had no shape. It couldn't be conquered or tamed or avoided. Only moved through, with force and will.Roshani Chokshi
3
All war is philosophical. That's why we call it war. Strip it of its paint and it's nothing more than murder.Roshani Chokshi
4
Beauty, coveted though it was, could not outlive you. Only actions would.Roshani Chokshi
5
Existence is the gift. Life is a choice.Roshani Chokshi
6
Surviving isn't just about cutting out your heart and burning every feeling into ash. Sometimes it means taking whatever is thrown at you, beautiful or grotesque, poisonous or blissful, and carving out your life with the pieces you're given.Roshani Chokshi
7
Ah, desire. Such a poisonous thing.Roshani Chokshi
8
And perhaps that in itself was the great secret---not just for legacy, but also for life. You could carry a story inside you and hold it up to the light when you needed it the most. You could peer through it, like a frame, and see how it changed your view when you looked out onto the world.Roshani Chokshi
9
Enough tiny sharp jabs can cut as deeply as any knife.Roshani Chokshi
10
A story. This was the key to immortality. The things that made kings quiver and deities distrustful: Nothing but a tale.Roshani Chokshi
11
The problem with guilt was not how it attacks the present, but how it stained the past. Hindsight was a blemish on memory.Roshani Chokshi