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.

Horrible that you could write in a language so well, but have nothing meaningful to say.

Mrs. Pang was once a nanny for me, and she spoils me the way I imagined kindhearted women would spoil an orphan, loving me for whom I am, exactly the opposite of my mother, whose love I have to earn with great effort and with little success.

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

If I didn't self-censor, I would be in jail, and then I wouldn't be effective at all.

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