"Every night, before he turned in, he would write in the book. He wrote about things he had done, things he had seen, and thoughts he had had. Sometimes he drew a picture. He always ended by asking himself a question so he would have something to think about while falling asleep."
pp. 6-7

"'All swans are vain' said the cob. 'It is right for swans to feel proud, graceful—that's what swans are for.'"
p. 34

"'A long word,' he thought, 'is really no harder than a short one. I'll just copy one letter at a time, and pretty soon it will be finished. Besides, my life is a catastrophe. It's a catastrophe to be without a voice.'"
p. 73

"But everyone had learned how careful you have to be when dealing with figures."
p. 77

"Here, Louis, is a trumpet. It will be your voice...