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51 quotes by Amy Tan

Amy Tan Chinese 譚恩美 Transcriptions Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Tán Ēnměi Amy Tan (born February 19, 1952) is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships and the Chinese-American experience. Her best-known work is The Joy Luck Club, which has been translated into 35 languages. In 1993, the book was adapted into a commercially successful film. Tan has written several other bestselling novels, including The Kitchen God's Wife,...
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Writing is an extreme privilege but it's also a gift. It's a gift to yourself and it's a gift of giving a story to someone.

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I have survivor skills. Some of that is superficial - what I present to people outwardly - but what makes people resilient is the ability to find... →

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Words to me were magic. You could say a word and it could conjure up all kinds of images or feelings or a chilly sensation or whatever. It was... →

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I was intelligent enough to make up my own mind. I not only had freedom of choice, I had freedom of expression.

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It's both rebellion and conformity that attack you with success.

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I am an American, steeped in American values. But I know on an emotional level what it means to be of the Chinese culture.

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It's a luxury being a writer, because all you ever think about is life.

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I'd like to be more forgiving. There are times when I've had a hard time forgiving people who have betrayed me.

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God, life changes faster than you think.

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My parents had very high expectations. They expected me to get straight A's from the time I was in kindergarten.

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Who knows where inspiration comes from. Perhaps it arises from desperation. Perhaps it comes from the flukes of the universe, the kindness of the... →

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You can get sucked into the idea that, 'Gosh, this is impressive. Maybe I should do this. It will look good.' Or 'I'll write like... →

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I saw my mother in a different light. We all need to do that. You have to be displaced from what's comfortable and routine, and then you get to... →

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