Baron Mordo

"Relationships are transactions—some merely hide the nature of exchange better than others."

"Solitude is where we finally hear the truth we've been avoiding."

"I have walked alone because others could not match my vision."

"Every person I've known has eventually disappointed me. This taught me to expect nothing from others."

"The Ancient One promised me salvation. She delivered only riddles."

"Those who love you will betray you. This is law."

"Power without ruthlessness is merely the illusion of power."

"I understand now that knowledge is not enlightenment—it is burden."

"The paths not taken haunt us more than the paths we've walked."

"To change the world, you must first accept that the world will not change."

"Those who succeed are rarely the most deserving. They are merely the most willing to compromise."

"Friendship is a luxury. I could never afford such indulgence."

"My family's face fades from memory with each passing year. Perhaps this is mercy."

"Hope is the drug of the desperate. I have long since become sober."

"Courage is merely another word for recklessness that happened to succeed."

"Education teaches us the rules only so we might know which ones to break."

"Time flows backward for those who truly understand its nature."

"Truth is a weapon. It wounds those who wield it as much as those struck by it."

"Freedom is the privilege of the powerful. Others merely obey different masters."

"Peace is the dream of those too tired for war."

"Nature is beautiful only to those who do not understand it."

"Art mirrors the darkness in the human soul. Most are too afraid to look."

"Science reveals the universe is indifferent to our suffering. This is its gift to us."

"Music is mathematics made emotional. Both are tools of power."

"Faith is what we cling to when reason abandons us."

"A true leader does not ask for loyalty—he compels it."

"Work is how we prove to ourselves and others that we matter."

"Dreams fade upon waking. Reality is what remains."

"Humor masks the fear beneath. I no longer need such masks."

"Beauty fades. Only power endures."