The Testing

“Things don't always work out the way we hope. You just have to pick yourself up and find a new direction to go in.”

“The best leaders make mistakes and then learn from them. The best leaders never make the same mistakes again. The only way you can learn is if you understand the mistakes that were made.”

“Leaders are forced to kill all the time. Then they have to learn to live with the decisions they make. Just like I'm going to learn to live with mine.”

“Maybe that’s the mark of a real leader. Admitting a mistake has been made and finding a way to stop it at all costs.”

“[...] the biggest failures typically come before the biggest breakthroughs. That no matter what, I should never get discouraged. Learn from my mistakes and all will be well.”

“Almost all the United Commonwealth presidents have been female. It has been argued that women are less aggressive, more maternal, and thus more focused on the well-being of the country's people. Less focused on politics or power.”

“The earth is resilient, but it’s hard to imagine a time when this place will be anything but a terrible reminder of what we as a people can do.”

“All leaders have to live with disappointment at some point or another. If I have to learn that lesson early, I won’t enjoy it, but I will do my best not to let you down.”

“Forgetting that it happened doesn't change anything. Nothing can change the past.”

“Worrying about the past won’t help. I can only deal with the present.”

“Take my time. Never second-guess myself. Almost always my first instinct will be the correct one.”

“Boys and dating haven’t been on my priority list. And they certainly can’t be now.”

“Government isn’t always just, and it isn’t always fair. But it should be.”

“Even where the soil was most corrupt, the willow found a way to survive.”

“I wish I could go back to who I was, but I'm different.”

“Tell a girl you love her and she automatically gets bossy. Well, I guess I can’t complain since you’re asking me to take off my pants.”

“don’t always work out the way we hope. You just have to pick yourself up and find a new direction to go in.”

“All the living want to do is care for the dead. And now they, too, are among the fallen.”

“At five feet, two inches, I am the shortest girl in my class.”

“Dad always said the best way to keep the mind healthy is to make sure the body is strong.”

“You're going to get up and face whatever comes. I'll be proud of you no matter what today brings.”

“History shows that it takes only a spark to start a fire that cannot be easily checked. The Seven Stages of War started with the outrage of one leader.”

“the biggest failures typically come before the biggest breakthroughs. That no matter what, I should never get discouraged. Learn from my mistakes and all will be well.”

“Things don’t always work out the way we hope. You just have to pick yourself up and find a new direction to go in.”

“the best leaders are the ones who have no interest in leading. Those are often the ones who are most interested in doing what is right, not what is popular.”

“Perhaps that’s the first rule I will learn as an adult—that you can’t always get what you want. Zeen”

“The Testing is no longer filled with excitement for the opportunity to help the Commonwealth rebuild. The Testing is now about staying alive.”

“Revitalizing the earth is an important job. One I admire. I might even be happy to consider it, if I didn’t kill every plant I touched.”

“The Testing has already begun.”