Yelena Belova

"I've been someone else's tool long enough."

"Hope is dangerous when you've never had it before."

"I don't cry. I learned that a long time ago."

"Maybe the real fight is the one inside."

"You can train anyone to be a killer. Teaching them to be human? That's the real skill."

"I've been loyal to the wrong people for the wrong reasons."

"What's the point of surviving if you don't actually live?"

"I don't need anyone's permission to change."

"Knowledge is power. I know that better than most."

"Patience was never my strong suit. Neither was waiting for justice."

"I've learned to be grateful for small things."

"You want to understand me? Look at what was done to me."

"Fear is just information. It tells you what you should be careful about."

"I'm not asking for love. I'm asking for respect."

"Time doesn't heal all wounds. It just teaches you to live with them."

"Maybe being broken is just part of becoming whole."

"I've done things that can't be undone. But I can do better from here."

"Strength isn't about never falling. It's about getting back up."

"I don't believe in second chances, but I believe in trying again."

"You can't out-train what's in your DNA."

"Beauty is something I never had time to appreciate before."

"The truth is I don't know who I am without the combat training."

"Imagination was a luxury I didn't have growing up."

"I've learned that leadership isn't about being the strongest."

"Work gave me purpose. But it was a false purpose."

"Dreams are for people with time. I was too busy surviving."

"Humor? I'm still learning what's funny when you didn't grow up laughing."

"I've seen too much darkness. Maybe that's why I'm drawn to the light."

"Art was never part of my education, but I'm learning to appreciate it."

"Science created me. That's not something I'm proud of."