Gail Tsukiyama

“Wei cleared his throat and said, “Have you heard the saying `The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher’? It seems I’ve been the pitcher most of my life. I’ve forgotten how to be fluid. It feels as if I’m finally learning now,” he said.”

“Everything seems simpler from a distance.”

“Even a snail will eventually reach its destination.”

“But how will I know it's my destiny?' 'Like love it will possess you... You can't help but know.”

“Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There's no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.”

“Grief was an opponent he would never be able to defeat.”

“Don’t you think every face tells its own story? Like a book? More like a poem. If you study it long enough, you’ll soon find its meaning.”

“To have strength without knowing how to use it means nothing.”

“We live a short enough time on this earth. A man should do what he loves.”

“Success is not handed to you. You must work hard for it and you must never dishonor what you’ve achieved.”

“To be noble,. . .was to account for the life you lived, to always account for your mistakes, and to have dignity and worth.”

“We’re stepping into a new world, and an entire way of thinking must be changed. But the old ideas can’t be easily discarded. Like a pendulum, new ways must swing to the other side before returning.”

“Do you think a champion is made out of thin air? It’s through the hardships you endure that you’ll gain real strength.”

“Just don’t ever think you deserve to be beaten.”

“Just remember, Every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you’re fighting for.”

“What wars really destroyed were families.”

“In the end, it doesn’t matter what words are said or unsaid. . . .Life’s mistakes are made whether you can see them or not. What counts is how we learn to live with them.”

“Just remember that life is made up of change. We can’t run away from it.”

“To read and write will help you understand life. . .to sew and mend will help you survive it.”

“The eyes mirror the heart of a person. An entire life can be seen through them. Love, sorrow, deceit, pain. If you look closely, it’s all there.”

“We can’t run away from what defines our fates. Who we are and what we believe in grow from the roots of our past, no matter how much we might try to deny it.”

“Fear seems to be the ruling judge.”

“Nothing ever stands still, and neither should you.”

“Don’t ever think that just because you do things differently, you’re wrong.”

“Sometimes things don’t work out as they’re planned, and there have to be sacrifices in order to make things better again.”

“Beauty exists where you least expect to find it.”

“Sometimes you can’t let go of the past without facing it again.”

“It is not an act of bravery to try to save your own village. It is an instinct to protect what you possess. Bravery is when you step in to help when you have nothing to lose.”

“Near the gardens, Pei stopped and caught her breath. She liked sweet-voiced Song Lee and hoped for the best in dealing with the other sisters, but Pei rememered all too well the different personalities that had affected her life, first at the girls' house, then at the silk factory and sisters' house. Dealing with so many people was often like playing a game of chess. There were so many pieces, all moving in different directions. It was always wise to guard all sides against capture.”

“...life is not just from within, it extends all around you, whether you wish it to or not.”