The wind blew whispers in Gbessa’s ear as she stood facing the frightened Poro king, surrounded, it seemed, by everybody in Lai – surrounded, she knew, by the forest, and the road, and the lake, and the spirits, and the night, and the sun and the moon.
-- Narration   (Book One, “The Three - Gbessa”)

Importance: This quote is taken from a climactic section of the opening chapter, in which Gbessa feels the power of both nature, where she feels she belongs, and the community, where she feels she does not. The quote embodies an essential tension and/or conflict in Gbessa's character, wanting to belong but knowing she is different, and driven to be independent and separate.

… I came to know so much that I sometimes felt important. But nobody cared what I knew, not enough to ask. So on my walks home, I carried on full conversations with the winding cabin roads, the exploding stars, and the...
-- Charlotte (Narration)  (Book One, “The Three – June Dey”)