Words of wisdom from the "Son Of A Witch"

These are exerpts from two seperate passages that aren't necessarily related. I just found them each very profound (not to mention well worded) in their own way.
This book is the sequel to "Wicked: the life and time of the Wicked Witch of the West", by Gregory Maguire. If there is anyone who hasn't read either one of these, I would highly recommend them. They are dark, and entertaining, and full of philosophy, and make lots of interesting points about society and basic human nature.

"A capacity for interiority in the growing adult is threatened by the temptation to squander that capacity ruthlessly to revel in hollowness. The syndrome especially plagues anyone who lives behind a mask. An Elephant in her disguise as a human princess, a Scarecrow with painted features, a glittering tiara under which to glow and glide in anonymous glamour. A witch's hat, a Wizard's showbiz display, a cleric's stole, a scholar's gown, a soldier's dress sartorials.

A hundred ways to duck the question: how will I live with myself now that I know what I know?"

- pg 150 & 151

"We are the next thing the Time Dragon is dreaming, and nothing to be done about it.

We are the fanciful sketch of wry Lurline, we are droll and ornamental, and no more culpable than a sprig of lavender or a sprig of lightning, and nothing to be done about it.

We are an experiment in situation ethics set by the Unnamed God, which in keeping its identity secret also cloaks the scope of the experiment and our chances of success or failure at it - and nothing to be done about it.

We are loping sequences of chemical conversion, acting ourselves converted. We are twists of genes acting ourselves twisted; we are wicks of burning neuroses acting ourselves wicked. And nothing to be done about it. And nothing to be done about it."

- pg 127 & 128