Her education only made her unhappy thinking about it - that no matter how much she changed her life, she could not change the world that surrounded her.
Amy TanClichรฉs are static, the emotion behind them long spent. If you are tempted to use them, here is a saying of my motherโs: Fang pi bu-cho, cho pi bu-fang. Basically that translates to: "Loud farts donโt stink, and the really smelly ones donโt make a sound." In other words: When youโre full of beans, you just blow a lot of hot air. If you want to have a real impact, be deadly but silent. Oh, also recognize the difference between a bad clichรฉ and a good quotation. My motherโs saying is a good quotation. You should use it often.
Amy TanI would still like to have that luxury, to be able to just sit and draw for hours and hours and hours. In a way, that's what I do as a writer.
Amy TanI take a few quick sips. "This is really good." And I mean it. I have never tasted tea like this. It is smooth, pungent, and instantly addicting. "This is from Grand Auntie," my mother explains. "She told me 'If I buy the cheap tea, then I am saying that my whole life has not been worth something better.' A few years ago she bought it for herself. One hundred dollars a pound." "You're kidding." I take another sip. It tastes even better.
Amy Tan