You can write about a country without taking a stand, but you cannot write about a country without noting that there's history, and that there's politics going on. To me, that's the same if you write about America. You don't have to write about politics, but the politics have to be present in the characters.

The decaying that had dragged on for too long had only turned tragedy into nuisance; death, when it strikes, better completes its annihilating act on the first try.

There is a certain amount of politeness here in America, which is probably more than just politeness.

Chinese people don't care about freedom, but they do care about justice.

I think our eyes are trained to look for what we want to see.

But loneliness is as delusive a belief in the pertinence of the world as is love: in choosing to feel lonely, as in choosing to love, one carves a space next to oneself to be filled by others - a friend, a lover, a toy poodle, a violinist on the radio.

There are people who are willing to work within the system, and people who don't want to work with the system at all.