“You can't change the past, you know? You can't change who you were, but you can change who you're going to be.”

“Everything's a painting, anyway," Fawn said. "That's what I think. We live inside a giant painting, only we can't see who's holding the paintbrush. Any time something strange happens in your life it's because the painter added a new brushstroke you can't see. The big picture keeps changing, but we're stuck in the small one.”

“You can't change the past, you know? You can't change who you were, but you can change who you're going to be.”

“I don't like this, Toua," I go on. "We're like birds that have flown a very long way from their nest. We're like nettles in a garden full of hops. We shouldn't have to hide who we are. Our faces are unseen.”

“You can't change who you are, can you? That would require changing the people who made you along the way. That would mean discrediting everything they ever gave you.”