American - Novelist | February 19, 1952 -
Our uniqueness makes us special, makes perception valuable - but it can also make us lonely. This loneliness is different from being 'alone': You can be lonely even surrounded by people. The feeling I'm talking about stems from the sense that we can never fully share the truth of who we are. I experienced this acutely at an early age.
Amy Tan
AgeTruthAloneLonelinessPeople
When you read about the lives of other people, people of different circumstances or similar circumstances, you are part of their lives for that moment. You inhabit their lives, and you feel what they're feeling, and that is compassion. If we see that reading does allow us that, we see how absolutely essential reading is.
MomentCompassionPeopleReadingYou
I saw my mother in a different light. We all need to do that. You have to be displaced from what's comfortable and routine, and then you get to see things with fresh eyes, with new eyes.
MotherEyesLightYouRoutineNew
My mother believed in curses, karma, good luck, bad luck, feng shui. Her amorphous set of beliefs showed me you can pick and choose the qualities of your philosophy, based on what works for you.
GoodMotherMeLuckGood LuckKarma
God, life changes faster than you think.
LifeGodThinkYouLife Changes
There is this myth, that America is a melting pot, but what happens in assimilation is that we end up deliberately choosing the American things - hot dogs and apple pie - and ignoring the Chinese offerings.
EndAmericanAmericaApplePieHot
I am an American, steeped in American values. But I know on an emotional level what it means to be of the Chinese culture.
CultureI AmAmericanValuesKnow
It's both rebellion and conformity that attack you with success.
SuccessYouRebellionConformity
No one can travel your own road for you; you must travel it for yourself. My faith in this stems from my childhood. I grew up in a family with a system of religious beliefs handed down to me.
FamilyFaithChildhoodTravelRoad
At the beginning of my career as a writer, I felt I knew nothing of Chinese culture. I was writing about emotional confusion with my mother related to our different beliefs. Hers was based in family history, which I didn't know anything about. I always felt hesitant in talking about Chinese culture and American culture.
FamilyMotherHistoryCultureCareer
I did not lose myself all at once. I rubbed out my face over the years washing away my pain, the same way carvings on stone are worn down by water.
WaterMyselfPainFaceLoseStone
Popularity is given to you, and if you think that just because you're really popular you're a better person, it could be a real crash when you find the popularity goes down.
Better PersonThinkBetterYouDown
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Amy Tan quotes