I was happy not to be in his place. He could command my death, but not his. But then, what kind of power was his? He was a prisoner of himself.

I think about giving up. I almost do.

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

There have been 50 or 60 books written about Empress Orchid, but none of them bothered to really examine the period in China when she lived. I was taught that she was evil; it's in all the textbooks.

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

The self was a very strange concept to me until I came to America, and my child was born with that entitlement, and that just thrilled me.

To be able to do art, it was a luxury to me.