Veronica Roth: What is wrong with you?' I shake my head. 'Pull it toge...

Whoa there, Tobias," says the man to my left. "Weren't you raised a Stiff? I thought the most you people did was... graze hands or something." "Then how do you explain all the Abnegation children?" Tobias raises his eyebrows. "They are brought into being by sheer force of will," the woman on the arm of the chair interjects. "Didn't you know that, Tobias?" "No, I wasn't aware." He grins. "My apologies.

Veronica Roth

apology men children

She tries to turn too soon, and the ladder smacks into Fernando's shoulder. "Oh! Sorry, Nando." The jolt knocks his glasses askew. He smiles at Christina and takes the glasses off, shoving them into his pocket. "Nando?" I say to him. "I thought the Erudite didn't like nicknames?" "When a pretty girl calls you by a nickname," he says, "it is only logical to respond to it.

Veronica Roth

glasses girl sorry

Which means that in order to defeat her, I have to think of a way to defeat myself. And how can I be a better fighter than myself, if she knows the same strategies I know, and is exactly as resourceful and clever as I am?

Veronica Roth

clever mean thinking

I could never hurt him enough to make his betrayal stop hurting. And it hurts, in every part of my body.

Veronica Roth

betrayal body hurt

You're too important to just... die.

Veronica Roth

insurgent dies important

That execution will take place here." She runs her fingertips over the table beneath her. "On this table. I thought it would be interesting to show you." "I knew what would happen when I came here," I say. "It's just a table. And I'd like to go back to my room now.

Veronica Roth

tables running interesting

she’s not pretty, that word is too small. She is not like the girls I used to stare at, all bend and curve and softness. She is small but strong, and her bright eyes demand attention. Looking at her is like waking up.

Veronica Roth

girl eye strong

He seems designed specifically for speed and deadly accuracy. But not strength, not particularly-he is smart, but not strong. Only strong enough to carry me.

Veronica Roth

speed smart strong

"What did you do?” This time the question tears from my throat like a growl.

Veronica Roth

scream tears decision

I don't see any elderly people in the crowd. Are there any old Dauntless? Do they not last that long, or are they just sent away when they can't jump off moving trains anymore?

Veronica Roth

elderly long moving

I have a message for the Divergent" I am Divergent. "This is not a negotiation" No, it is not. "It is a warning" I understand. "Every two days until one of you delivers yourself to Erudite headquarters . . ." I will. " . . . this will happen again" It will never happen again.

Veronica Roth

divergent warning two

We don't need you as an ally. We're Dauntless. -Tori

Veronica Roth

dont-need-you allies needs

The battle we are fighting is not against a particular group. It is against human nature - or at least what it has become.

Veronica Roth

groups battle fighting

I think he came to die with me," I say. I clamp my hand over my mouth to stifle a sob. If I can keep breathing, I can stop crying. I didn't need or want him to die with me. I wanted to keep him safe. What an idiot, I think, but my heart isn't in it. "That's ridiculous," he says. "That doesn't make any sense. He's eighteen; he'll find another girlfriend once you're dead. And he's stupid if he doesn't know that." Tears run down my cheeks, hot at first and then cold. I close my eyes. "If you think that's what it's about..." I swallow another sob. "...you're the stupid one.

Veronica Roth

girlfriend stupid running

Tris," Tobias says, crouching next to me. His face is pale, almost yellow. There is too much I want to say. The first thing that comes out is, "Beatrice." He laughs weakly. "Beatrice," he amends, and touches his lips to mine. I curl my fingers into his shirt.

Veronica Roth

next yellow laughing

I think I speak for everyone," he says, "when I say you have earned the title of Dauntless".

Veronica Roth

titles speak thinking

Thank you for your honesty," Niles says. The Candor repeat the phrase under their breath. All around me are the words "Thank you for your honesty" at different volumes and pitches, and my anger begins to dissolve.

Veronica Roth

phrases honesty different

It's not cruelty, maybe, but a desire to understand that motivates them.

Veronica Roth

cruelty desire

I am better off doing as abnegation taught me: turning away from myself, projecting always outward, and hoping that in whatever is next, I will be better than I am now.

Veronica Roth

better-off taught next

Guilt [is] a tool, rather than a weapon against the self.

Veronica Roth

guilt tools self

What is wrong with you?' I shake my head. 'Pull it together.' And that's what it feels like: pulling the different parts of me up and in like a shoelace. I feel suffocated, but at least I feel strong.