Monsters of Men

To say you have no choice is to relieve yourself of responsibility.

It's not how we fall. It's how we get back up again.

His noise is getting quieter, but I can still see it there still- See how he feels the skin of my hand against his, see how he wants to take it and press it against his mouth, how he wants to breathe in the smell of me and how beautiful I look to him, how strong after all that illness, and how he wants to just lightly touch my neck, just there, and how he wants to take me in his arms and- "Oh, God," he says, looking away suddenly. "Viola, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" But I just put my hand to the back of his neck- And he says, "Viola-?" And I pull myself towards him- And I kiss him. And it feels like, finally.

Choices may be unbelievably hard but they're never impossible. To say you have no choice is to release yourself from responsibility and that's not how a person with integrity acts.

I’ll find you— Keep calling for me, Viola— Cuz here I come.

Do we hate paradise so much we need to make sure it becomes a trash heap?

It's not the mistakes I made but how I responded to them

Worst is the one who knows better and does nothing.

You're never more alive than in battle." "Never more dead after," I say.

A monster, I think, remembering what Ben told me once. War makes Monsters of Men.

Viola?" he says. And I turn to look at him - And when I do, I can hear everything he's thinking. Everything. Clearer than before, clearer than seems possible - And I'm not even sure I'm supposed to, but I look him in the eyes and I see it - In the middle of everything he's feeling - Even after we fought - Even after I doubted him - Even after I hurt him - I see how much he loves me.

Usually when a man calls a woman a bitch," a voice calls over from a cart pulling up near us at the edge of camp,"its because she's doing something right.

Who will remember Todd? Who will remember what he did? Todd - Todd - And my heart breaks even more - Breaks forever - And I fall to my knees in the snow and sand - And I yell out, wordless and empty - And I drop the weapon.

And you," he says, "you need to talk to your boy." He lifts my chin. "And if he needs saving, then you save him. Isn't that what you told me you did for each other?" I let go a few more tears but then I nod. "Over and over again.

War makes monsters of men, you once said to me Todd. Well, so does too much knowledge. Too much knowledge of your fellow man, too much knowledge of his weakness, his pathetic greed and vanity, and how laughably easy it is to control him.

You went up a girl and came down a woman.

Cuz that's it - That's the nasty, nasty secret of war - When yer winning - When yer winning, it's effing thrilling -

Viola? Keep calling for me– And I’ll keep searching for you– And I’ll find you– You bet yer life on it– I’ll find you– Keep calling for me, Viola– Cuz here I come.

It's always darkest before the dawn, Todd.” I look at him, baffled. “No, it ain't! What kinda stupid saying is that? It's always lightest before the dawn!

What a sad thing men are. Can’t do nothing good without being so weak we have to mess it up. Can’t build something up without tearing it down.

No," I say firmly. "If you ever doubt anything here, if you ever not know what to think or who to trust, you trust Todd, okay? You remember that.

Because even the one you hate leaves an absence when they go.

You are keeping the possibility [of peace] open. No wise leader would do anything less

I'll do it, Todd," I whisper. "I'll come with you." And he doesn't say anything, just squeezes my hand harder and brings it up to his face like he wants to breathe me in.

Submit! Juliet's Joy screeches underneath him at no one in particular. "I've got to get a new horse," the Mayor mutters.

This is what war does. Right here, in my hands. This is war.

Todd!” she says again but this time in a way that asks me to look at her and I do and she stops Angharrad at the edge of the square and she’s looking at me, looking right into my eyes– And I read her– And I know exactly what she’s thinking– And my Noise and my heart and my head fill up fit to burst, fill up like I’m gonna explode– Cuz she’s saying– She’s saying with her eyes and her face and her whole self– “I know,” I say back to her, my voice husky. “Me, too.” And then I turn to the Mayor and I’m filled with her, with her love for me and my love for her– And it makes me big as an effing mountain– And I take it and I slam all of it into the Mayor–