Odette Carotte

"This is. And thou art. There is no safety. There is no end. The word must be heard in silence. There must be darkness to see the stars. The dance is always danced above the hollow place, above the terrible abyss."

'Trials are rites of purification. Remember that. You'll have tough times; you'll lose things; you'll go without. Focus on what you earn. You'll learn, very quickly, who the friends are: Watch who shows up and responds. Listen if anyone understands. You may become a victim to illness or poverty, but don't believe that you're a victim. Tell yourself the truth: This is temporary, and when I come out of it, I'll have lost some material things, some peace of mind, some illusions about friendship. But you'll have gained a hell of a lot, and if you use what you've learned toward preventing anyone else from having as bad a patch as you did, you'll be extraordinarily rich, and you'll have some damned good armor to keep you from having the same bad time again. But bad times? They're coming, baby. They're navoidable. Use them to grow and get better. It's the only way."

'You cannot disown what is yours.