Being told that I looked like I belonged everywhere and to everyone helped me feel my fledgling pride in my own multiracialism. Maya Soetoro-Ng More Quotes by Maya Soetoro-Ng More Quotes From Maya Soetoro-Ng I'm half white, half Asian. I think of myself as hybrid. People usually think I'm Latina when they meet me. That's what made me learn Spanish. Maya Soetoro-Ng myselfmewhitepeople Philosophically, I would say that I am Buddhist. Maya Soetoro-Ng wouldami-amsay Each of us has a right to name ourselves as we will. Maya Soetoro-Ng usrightnamewill My father saw Islam as a way to connect with the community. He never went to prayer services except for big communal events. I am absolutely certain that my father did not go to services every Friday. He was not religious. Maya Soetoro-Ng i-amcommunityprayerfather We can do much to help our communities loosen their boundaries and begin to welcome a multitude of ways of being to make sure that individuals of mixed race, religion, or ethnicities don't feel the need to choose one or the other but see their layers as a gift, something that adds beauty. Maya Soetoro-Ng giftwelcomebeautyreligion I ended up very American and very Indonesian and a little bit of a lot of things. Maya Soetoro-Ng littleamericanthingsup The rich emotional tapestry of being a mother, becoming a mother, connects you to your own mother. I didn't realize how much I'd become her. I pass a mirror, and am surprised by how much I look like her. Maya Soetoro-Ng mirrorlookyoumother I've always kept a journal and brought storytelling into my teaching. Maya Soetoro-Ng alwaysstorytellingteachingjournal I don't think the White House has always reflected the textures and flavors of this country. Maya Soetoro-Ng thinkwhitehousecountry I think it's true we look forward to enormous amounts of information, but I think we would be better off if we thought about the kinds of wisdom and thoughtfulness that we need in order to handle the amount of information ahead. Maya Soetoro-Ng betterlookthinkwisdom We can't afford to live in isolation, and we need to teach our kids that the things that they do not only matter to others far away but impact others who live far away, and there are ripples of effect. Maya Soetoro-Ng liveneedfar-awaymatter I think a lot about our globalized world, our global interconnectedness, and it really saddens me when I see people 'othering,' when I see people who are willing to live narrowly. Maya Soetoro-Ng thinkmepeopleworld It was as a mother that I needed my mother back, and I needed to conjure her anew and think about what she would have counselled and what she would have given. Maya Soetoro-Ng shebackthinkmother I think you can have varied and seemingly contradictory depictions of a single person because we all have many facets and, in a way, many selves. Maya Soetoro-Ng personthinkyouway We all have a limited amount of good judgment. Maya Soetoro-Ng limitedgoodgood-judgmentjudgment As children, we develop some scorn for our parents and their imperfections. Maya Soetoro-Ng imperfectionsparentssomechildren I like that there are young people being given opportunities to explore and learn and grow and become themselves with a path that is associated with my mother. She would have liked that very much. Maya Soetoro-Ng growpathmotherpeople My brother loves this country deeply. He has laid down roots, and he has always been incredibly patriotic and committed to this country. Maya Soetoro-Ng downbrotherrootscountry
