“Now, thinking about the feeling of fear as he pedaled home along the river path, he remembered that moment of palpable, stomach-sinking terror when the aircraft had streaked above” (3).

"... And she told me that the Birthmothers get wonderful food, and they have very gentle exercise periods, and most of the time they just play games and amuse themselves while they’re waiting. I think I’d like that,” Lily said petulantly.

“No one mentioned it, not even his parents, because the public announcement had been sufficient to produce the appropriate remorse” (23).

“It was a serene and slow-paced place, unlike the busy centers of manufacture and distribution where the daily work of the community occurred” (28-29).

“The community, relieved from its discomfort very slightly by her benign statement, seemed to breathe more easily” (59).

“The audience applause, which was enthusiastic at each Naming, rose in an exuberant swell when one parental pair, glowing with pride, took a male newchild and heard him named Caleb” (44).

“Finally the Chief Elder paid tribute to the hard work of her committee, which had performed the observations so meticulously all year” (52).

“He had been given an unusual and special reprieve from the committee, and granted an additional year of nurturing before his Naming and Placement” (42).

“Like the Matching of Spouses and the Naming and Placement of newchildren, the Assignments were scrupulously thought through by the Committee of Elders” (49).