The real diamond

Plucked from Thinking through my fingers, as something I wish I had said myself in my recent Diamond of Darkhold post:

As Doon's father says, in what I think is the main lesson of the book:

"You know, son, I don't think there's such a thing as an easy life. There's always going to be hard work, and there will always be misfortunes we can't control lurking out at the edges - storms, sickness, wolves. But there is such a thing as a good life, and I think we have one here." [page 275]

Thanks, Jim. That's the real Diamond of Darkhold.