Hugh Howey said this quote

We don't all make it out the other side, not all of us. But somewhere, there's the click of a pen, a proud signature, a father's hand on a young man's shoulder, and we reload. That's the sound of our collective gun cocking, the click of a pen. That's us racking another round in the chamber. Fire that boy out, hope you hit something. If he gets three before he goes home in his own bag, then the numbers look good. That father gets his medal. No one else to wear it.

~ Hugh Howey

Maybe he wasn’t there to lead so much as to provide an illusion to the others that they were being led.

~ Hugh Howey

Where's the everlasting peace? Is there even such a thing? Or do we war like alien races war, eternally, against ourselves?

~ Hugh Howey

She could tell he was heading toward a bad place. She had seen him go there often enough, knew he had shortcuts he could take to get there in no time.

~ Hugh Howey