“Extra' was a very American word. Americans seemed to have extras of everything.”

“He tried to press the machine into my hands, but I stepped back. He was getting too close, and besides, I didn't know what this meant. Was he trying to sell me the machine? Was he giving it to me? I had heard that in America, if a girl accepted a ring from a boy, it meant she would marry him. What about accepting a tape-playing machine? Did it mean I might have to dance with him?”

“I'm very moved to be here today, ... Our lives are now much better, but Vietnam remains a very poor country. We need to work much harder.”

“What's the point of living if you don't even own a jetpack?”

“Mr. Schoenbrun, we have a secret weapon ... don't smile when I tell you this. Our secret weapon is nationalism. To have nationhood, which is a sign of maturity, is greater than any weapons in the world.”

“We are convinced that the Allied nations which ... have acknowledged the principles of self-determination and equality of nations, will not refuse to acknowledge the independence of Vietnam.”

“Nothing good will come out with lying.”