"“Nevertheless,” he went on, standing the envelope back up on its edge. “I would ask you, are the forces of indifference any less sinister than those of hooded cultists bound together by arcane oaths to uphold ancient and bloody agendas? I would say no, mainly because I don’t believe these secret cabals really exist. Indifference, though, is all too real. Indifference snuffs out idealism and enables tyrants. Indifference consigns millions of fascinating men and women to the dustbin of history. Indifference swallows people like you and me into its gaping maw, never to release us. That’s what we’re fighting against here, Daniel."

“I felt like a person again, instead of a walking bundle of bad decisions.”

“Something in Karen’s tone triggered my inner contrarian, and I found myself disagreeing with her before I could quite say why.”

“The thing about crackpots is that they don’t respond well to rigorous questioning of their pet ideas.”

“Star-Guard, that’s a restatement, not an explanation.”

“Trust was essential to a well-functioning unit, and lying was antithetical to trust.”

“Despite its vapidity, though, Carey’s argument has gained traction in certain circles, not because of its scholarly rigor or even its plausibility, but because like all conspiracy theories, it is as intriguing as it is improbable.”