my mother was taught the ch'an concept of happiness, which was to find satisfaction in small things. i was taught to appreciate the fresh air in the morning, the colour of leaves turning red in autumn and the water's smoothness when i soaked my hands in the basin.

lack of will power leads to more failure than lack of intelligence or ability.

My goal was to do anything that would lead to a job. I know that writing would not lead to a job. It's too fancy for me. My biggest goal was to be an office receptionist, answer phones. I didn't expect to go beyond that.

If you can't go back to your mother's womb, you'd better learn to be a good fighter.

We were meant to survive because of our minds' ability to reason, our ability to live with frustration in order to maintain our virtue. We wore smiling masks while dying inside.

When Chinese get together - what's buried stays buried. We don't even discuss our embarrassing early days struggling in Chicago.

If one wants to get a boat ride, one must be near the river.