“Immortality is for the gods. Frankly, I don't know how they stand it.”

“If love is real, doesn't it then last forever? Why? Life is real, and it doesn't last either”

“I think my mom is manic, but Chinese people don't believe in psychologists. We just drink more tea when things go bad. Sometimes I agree; I think we're all over diagnosed.”

“How can one expect a state of abundance to be everlasting?”

“Xiang wei is the character a good dish has when it’s robust, flavorful, and balanced but still maintains a certain light quality. That flavor comes, lingers on your tongue, stays long enough to make you crave it, but just when you think you have it figured out, it’s gone. Timing is everything. Soup dumplings, sitcoms, one-night stands—good ones leave you wanting more.”

“Isn't that the essence of literature?...Our ability to identify with characters, no matter that they're separated from us by thousands of miles and hundreds of lifetimes. We may have no Mount Vesuvius looming over us. It may not be lava and ashes we fear. But we look at these forms, and we know what they felt. ”

“The longer children live on the street, the more they realize the meaninglessness of words. They don't say things such as 'Thank you' and 'you are my friend.' They'd rather show through their actions what is inside. It is more difficult for these street kids to speak than to act.”