- Author: [[Suzanne Collins]] - Full Title: Mockingjay - Tags:: books [[inbox]] -  - ### Highlights first synced by [[Readwise]] [[2020-09-03]] - But the significant difference between Thirteen and the Capitol are the expectations of the populace. Thirteen was used to hardship, whereas in the Capitol, all they’ve known is Panem et Circenses.” “What’s that?” I recognize Panem, of course, but the rest is nonsense. “It’s a saying from thousands of years ago, written in a language called Latin about a place called Rome,” he explains. “Panem et Circenses translates into ‘Bread and Circuses.’ The writer was saying that in return for full bellies and entertainment, his people had given up their political responsibilities and therefore their power.” I think about the Capitol. The excess of food. And the ultimate entertainment. The Hunger Games. “So that’s what the districts are for. To provide the bread and circuses.” ([Location 2859](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B003XF1XOQ&location=2859)) - “So that’s what the districts are for. To provide the bread and circuses.” ([Location 2866](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B003XF1XOQ&location=2866)) - “Yes. And as long as that kept rolling in, the Capitol could control its little empire. ([Location 2867](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B003XF1XOQ&location=2867)) - I no longer feel any allegiance to these monsters called human beings, despise being one myself. I think that Peeta was onto something about us destroying one another and letting some decent species take over. Because something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its children’s lives to settle its differences. You can spin it any way you like. Snow thought the Hunger Games were an efficient means of control. Coin thought the parachutes would expedite the war. But in the end, who does it benefit? No one. The truth is, it benefits no one to live in a world where these things happen. ([Location 4776](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B003XF1XOQ&location=4776)) - That what I need to survive is not Gale’s fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that. So after, when he whispers, “You love me. Real or not real?” I tell him, “Real.” ([Location 4916](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B003XF1XOQ&location=4916))