"Empires were like seawalls, he thought sadly, even those which embodied the best of hopes. The tide of chaos beat at them, and as soon as no…"

— Tad Williams

"Even eternally free people are enslaved by the process of living."

— Chuck Klosterman

"What is a neglected child? He is a child not planned for, not wanted. Neglect begins, therefore, before he is born."

— Pearl S. Buck

"...they were nobodies in the county, they would leave nothing behind but their headstones."

— John Updike

"Living is more or less a constant bore."

— David Miedzianik