How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"You are a persistent young man, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. I didn't get where I am today without persistence." (P.122-123)
One stand-out characteristic of Dan is his persistence. Socrates later refers to it by saying Dan has the will to find the gate to unreasonable happiness (4.78). Throughout the whole novel, Dan demonstrates strong perseverance with his training in gymnastics, recovery from his injury, and study under Socrates.
Quote #2
"To survive the lessons ahead," he continued, "you're going to need far more energy than ever before. You'll have to cleanse your body of tension, free your mind of stagnant beliefs, and open your heart to loving-kindness." (P.192)
Nobody said being a peaceful warrior was easy. Certainly not Socrates. You have to do all this health stuff, for example, and as we all know, that alone takes serious perseverance. This passage is also notable in that the brief mention of loving-kindness is one of the very few instances of Socrates talking about how a person should treat other people.
Quote #3
"For you, Dan, a conscious process of transformation has begun. There's no going back. To try and do so would end in .. well, no sense talking about that. I need to know you're committed. [...] You will be tested severely before it's done. You'll need great inner strength. I only hope it comes in time." (3.184-188)
This is one of the suspenseful bits in the book. We want to find out what the test will be. It's his leg injury, of course. And oh yeah, there's the part about how if Dan quits his transformation, something bad will happen to him. That's suspenseful, too. Through it all, of course, Dan perseveres.