Emily Thorne- For those who believe in resurrection… death is in inconsequential. It is not an ending, but rather a new beginning… a second chance. A reunion. But the very idea of resurrection is so seductive a concept, it’s easy to forget—before you can rise from the dead… you have to spend a few days in hell.
Emily Thorne- For those who believe in the resurrection, death is inconsequential. In the resurrection, those that were dead live, and those who live believe they shall never die.
Emily Thorne- In a race between danger and indecision, the difference between life and death… comes down to confidence. Faith in our abilities, certainty in ourselves… and the trust we put in others.
Emily Thorne- Some think intuition is a gift. But it can also be a curse as well… a voice calling us from places that are better left unexplored… an echo of memories that will never die… no matter how hard we try to kill them.
Emily Thorne- When at a crossroads, my father was fond of saying “Go with your gut.” “Intuition,” he said, “Always has our best interests at heart.” It is a voice that can tell us who is friend and who is foe… which ones to hold at arms length… and which ones to keep close. But too often, we become distracted with fear, doubt, and our own stubborn hopes, and refuse to listen.
Emily Thorne- They say let he who is without sin cast the first stone. And to be without sin requires absolute forgiveness. But when your memories are freshly opened wounds, forgiveness is the most unnatural of human emotions.
Emily Thorne- Over time, we commit acts with intentions, either good or bad, that require forgiveness.
Emily Thorne- If we choose to, we can live in a world of comforting illusion. We can allow ourselves to be deceived by false realities… or we can use them to hide our true intentions.
Emily Thorne- To successfully create illusion, the first thing you need is trust. But to perfect an illusion, the false reality must appear as authentic as the one it hides. Careful attention must be paid to every detail. The slightest of imperfections can, like a pin to a balloon, burst the illusion. And the truth behind the illusion becomes revealed.
Emily Thorne- Penance is a sacrifice… a voluntary punishment to show remorse for a sin. The more grievous the sin, the greater the self-inflicted suffering. For some… the ultimate penance is death. But for others… it is simply a means to an end.
Emily Thorne- To properly do penance, one must express contrition for one’s sins… and perform acts to repair the damage caused by those transgressions. It is only when those acts are complete that the slate can truly be wiped clean… and amnesty gives way to a new beginning.
Daniel Grayson- We speak in hushed voices, so as not to wake our memories, the things we’ve done, the things we’ll continue to do, for fear of breaking the cycle, how fierce we were when we were young, when we were unafraid of coming unhinged.
Emily Thorne- For the righteous, a revelation is a joyous event, the realization of a divine truth. But for the wicked, revelations can be far more terrifying, when dark secrets are exposed and sinners are punished for their trespasses.
Emily Thorne- Revelations can help us accept the things we need the most… expose the secrets we so desperately try to hide… and illuminate the dangers all around us. But more than anything, revelations are windows into our true selves… both the good… and the evil… and those wavering somewhere in between… with the ultimate power to destroy all that we cherish most.
Emily Thorne- Power… born out of nature, coveted by man. Wars rage on, and victors are crowned… but true power can never be lost or won. True power comes from within.
Aiden Mathis- Dear Mr. Clarke, As Dr. King once said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and I’m afriad you’ve suffered a grave injustice. My position during your trial afforded my an inside access to the system, a system I truly believed in until I witnessed a man charged with upholding the law act outside of it. Judge Barnes has failed you, as have I.
Emily Thorne- Power can be hoarded by the mighty or stolen from the innocent. Power provides the ability to choose… but has a proclivity for corruption. The use of power is not to be taken lightly… for it is never without consequence.
Emily Thorne- They say the best-laid plans often go awry. Because no matter how detailed the preparation… a plan will always have a weak point. And there will always be those looking to exploit it… to doom a plan to failure, and the perpetrator along with it.
Emily Thorne- Every plan has a fatal flaw. Sometimes it’s the heart… even in those who are supposed to be the most careful. But a careful nature doesn’t always ensure success. When a plan is built on an unstable foundation… failure is not only possibility, it’s a certainty.
Emily Thorne- Every human is born of collusion. We come into this world the result of a covenant. Sometimes made of love…sometimes made of circumstance… but almost always made in secret.
Emily Thorne- In it’s purest form, a union becomes part of our very essence. But when that bond is broken… our essence is forever changed.
Emily Thorne- From the moment we’re born, we’re drawn to form a union with others… an abiding drive to connect, to love… to belong. In a perfect union, we find the strength we cannot find in ourselves. But the strength of the union cannot be known… until it is tested.
Emily Thorne- Sacrifice… by its strictest definition… takes something precious in exchange for the appeasement of a higher power... an abiding devotion to a cause that cannot be satisfied with a simple promise. Because an oath… no matter how solemn… asks nothing in return. While true sacrifice… demands unspeakable loss.
Emily Thorne- Sacrifice demands the surrender of things we cherish above all else. Only out of the agony of those losses can a new resolution be born… an undying devotion to a cause greater than one’s self… and a moral duty to see a journey through… to its absolute completion.
Emily Thorne- In its purest form, an act of retribution provides symmetry… the rendering of payment for crimes against the innocent. But the danger of retaliation lies in furthering the cycle of violence. Still, it’s a risk that must be met… when the greater offense is to allow the guilty to go unpunished.
Emily Thorne- Death is a thief. It takes and keeps all that a person is…that a person was. And when death takes from us someone as extraordinary as Amanda, it takes with it not just her past, but who she was to us every day. Amanda was special. But she never had it easy. A childhood torn from her… a rough adolescence, and a damning identity that was thrust upon her, which she bore with dignity until she made herself a new name—Amanda Porter… a name that was her own, free from the binds of history… looking forward with a man who loved her for… all of her strengths… and all of her weaknesses. Amanda, all of us here today have embraced you, and we love you. We will protect… the husband and child that you leave behind, the sister that you were just getting to know. And we will greet every new day as a gift, approaching it with the same bravery and determination with which you lived your entire life.
Emily Thorne- To carry a secret is to play with fire. Try to pass it on, and you risk hurting someone else. Hold on to it… and eventually, you’ll get burned.
Emily Thorne- In the art of war…if you know the enemy and know yourself… you need not fear the approaching battles. But if you know only yourself an not your enemy… for every victory… there will also be defeat.
Emily Thorne- All to often, we mask truth in artifice… concealing ourselves for fear of losing the ones we love… or prolonging a deception for those we wish to expose. We hide behind that which brings us comfort from pain and sadness… or use it to repel a truth too devastating to accept.
Emily Thorne- A person’s true identity can often be difficult to discern… even to themselves, causing one to question their character… their calling… their very existence. For most, time provides clarity. But for others… these questions remain unanswered… for an identity cannot be fully defined… when it is a guarded secret.
Emily Thorne- Engagement can be a commitment to love… or a declaration of war. One must enter every battle without hesitation, willing to fully engage the enemy… till death do you part.
Emily Thorne- Darkness scares us. We yearn for the comfort of light as it provides shape and form… allowing us to recognize, to define what’s before us. But what is it we’re afraid of, really? Not the darkness itself… but the truth we know hides within.
