Goats and oxen, pulling carts in from the field, left their big, smelly plops all over. these got cleaned up eventually-someone came and scraped them into buckets and took them away-but often this didn’t happen until halfway through the morning, and people had to step carefully until then and breathe in that powerful smell.

People in Ember rarely threw anything away. They made the best possible use of what they had.

Why did people always blame kids for things like this? As far as Grover could tell, grown-ups caused a lot more trouble in the world than kids.

What you get is what you get. What you DO with what you get, though... that’s more the point, wouldn’t you say” -Doon’s Father.

Love is love, seems to me. As long as what you love isn’t armed robbery, or bombing airplanes, or kidnapping little children.” -Crystal.

Lina laughed. So did Doon. A look went between them, like a quick current of electricity.

The people of Ember were just as grubby as the people of Sparks; everyone looked more or less the same.

You should THINK about what’s the right thing to do. Not just take someone’s word for it” -Grover.

She flicked off the TV.

His vision of the future, already shadowed by anxiety, had just grown several shades darker.