"The world is dark and light is precious. Come closer, dear reader. You must trust me. I am telling you a story."

"Despereaux looked down at the book, and something remarkable happened. The marks on the pages, the "squiggles" as Mer…"

"Despereaux did not know it, but he would need, very soon, to be brave himself."

"Reader, you may ask this question; in fact, you must ask this question: Is it ridiculous for a very small, sickly, bi…"

"Despereaux marveled at his own bravery. He admired his own defiance. And then, reader, he fainted. :("

"If the rat had not looked over his shoulder, perhaps his heart would not have broken. And it is possible, then, that …"

"There is those hearts, reader, that never mend again once they are broken. Or if they do mend, they heal themselves i…"

"When you are a king, you may make as many ridiculous laws as you like. That is what being a king is all about."

"And hope is like love... a ridiculous, wonderful, powerful thing."

"Say it, reader. Say the word "quest" out loud. It is an extraordinary word, isn't it? So small and yet so full of won…"