How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
They say you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, I reflected as I headed across the cafeteria. Although what one would want to do with flies once caught, I do not know. Murder them, most likely—that seemed to me to be what humans generally did with caught flies. I suspected there was a lesson and a warning there about humans in general. (16.23)
Classic Kiriel. Instead of using experiences or friends to help him out, he turns to old sayings because these are the only things he knows. He tests out the theory that you should be nice to people instead of annoying them, but it doesn't change much with Reed. Guess there are some things even old proverbs can't fix.
Quote #5
He would have been able to converse with ease, interest, and even excitement. He would have known what to do when his mother put her hand on his shoulder or called him an angel. He would have known how to respond to an "I love you." (19.138)
At first, Kiriel thinks he knows way more than Shaun—he has lived for centuries, after all—but pretty soon, he figures out there are some things Shaun would probably know that he doesn't. It's a shock to him, but it's a good lesson. Like he says before, doing—actually living life—isn't the same as just knowing about it.
Quote #6
I had assumed that a human was bound by its activities and habits, its way of speaking and acting. But now it seemed that there were other threads that wound around someone like Shaun, connecting him to other beings—threads of affections and trust. (19.149)
Part of Kiriel's journey is figuring out what life is all about. Even though he thinks he knows everything before hitchhiking a ride to earth in Shaun's body, he still has a lot to learn. Like, the fact that life isn't about our organs working on blood pulsing—it's about having friends and family around to love you.