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. Anchee Min More Quotes by Anchee Min More Quotes From Anchee Min If one wants to get a boat ride, one must be near the river. Anchee Min want opportunity rivers lack of will power leads to more failure than lack of intelligence or ability. Anchee Min will-power ability failure We were meant to survive because of our minds' ability to reason, our ability to live with frustration in order to maintain our virtue. We wore smiling masks while dying inside. Anchee Min frustration mind order If you can't go back to your mother's womb, you'd better learn to be a good fighter. Anchee Min fighter fighting mother Do you know who Karl Marx is? He is this strange little man, long dead, who lived his narrow little life, and somehow managed by the power of his wayward brain to lay hold upon millions of human lives! Anchee Min brain men long my mother was taught the ch'an concept of happiness, which was to find satisfaction in small things. i was taught to appreciate the fresh air in the morning, the colour of leaves turning red in autumn and the water's smoothness when i soaked my hands in the basin. Anchee Min autumn mother morning My goal was to do anything that would lead to a job. I know that writing would not lead to a job. It's too fancy for me. My biggest goal was to be an office receptionist, answer phones. I didn't expect to go beyond that. Anchee Min phones writing jobs To be able to do art, it was a luxury to me. Anchee Min luxury able art When Chinese get together - what's buried stays buried. We don't even discuss our embarrassing early days struggling in Chicago. Anchee Min chinese struggle together No matter how American I become, I'm considered part of the Chinese community by my own family. Anchee Min chinese community matter My parents lived likeas the neighbours described thema pair of chopsticks, always in harmony. Anchee Min harmony pairs parent 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. Anchee Min command prisoner kind My mind swirled with memories of the life I had led. The constant struggle to keep up appearances, the pretenses, the smiles that had been met with tears. The long sleepless nights, the loneliness that cloaked my spirit and turned me into a true ghost. Anchee Min loneliness struggle memories I think about giving up. I almost do. Anchee Min giving-up giving thinking The sun doesn't just hang on one family's tree Anchee Min good-luck luck tree 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. Anchee Min orchids evil book Of course I have the license to make up things, but I think a lot of what's written about China is misleading, and most Americans don't know much about China, in-depth, even though China is such a crucial business partner, rival, whatever. Anchee Min partner think know business I understood that without English I would never get far, so my dream was to become a receptionist, and so I started to learn English from watching 'Sesame Street.' Anchee Min street watching never dream There are a lot of things that immigrants, especially Chinese-Americans, want to share with their children, but there are a lot of things they don't want to share. Anchee Min things immigrants want children When I first came to America, you know, I would look at the newsstands and see the women on the magazine covers. I had never seen anyone smile the way these girls smile! It's like they have nothing to worry about! Anchee Min look you smile women
