Amy Chua Quotes

Do you know what a foreign accent is? It's a sign of bravery.

There's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.

Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America.

Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything.

I think if you're a 'tiger parent' early on, you don't need to be a 'helicopter parent' in high school.

Be modest, be humble, be simple.Make sure you come in first so that you have something to be humble about.

I do play tennis, but I don't really like competition. I'm supposed to be so intense, but I hate competition.

Instilling a sense of self-discipline and focus when the kids are younger makes it so much easier by the time they get into high school.

We all want to do the right thing for our children. We all don't know what that is and we all - you know, you won't know until the future.

My goal as a parent is to prepare you for the future, not to make you like me.

Kids raised to be pampered and spoiled don't really end up being good leaders. Leaders need to be independent minded and confident.

Don't assume your child is weak. If you, the parent, assume that they can't take anymore, what kind of signal are you sending them?

Unlike Western parents, reminding my child of Lord Voldemort didn't bother me.

Most things are difficult at the beginning and they become fun, something you love, only after you've worked at them.

To be honest, I know that a lot of Asian parents are secretly shocked and horrified by many aspects of Western parenting.

I say 'I love you' to my daughters every day.

There are all kinds of psychological disorders in the West that don't exist in Asia.

As a purely mathematical fact, people who sleep less live more.

I'm a proud strict mom and, you know, I'm really proud of the two daughters I've raised. And I'm especially proud of my relationship with them. We're very close. I think we're good friends.

Never complain or make excuses. If something seems unfair, just prove yourself by working twice as hard and being twice as good.

But just because you love something, I added to myself, doesn't mean you'll ever be great. Not if you don't work. Most people stink at the things they love.

The Chinese mom is not the helicopter mom. I would never do their homework for them. It's all about: Take responsibility, don't blame others. Be self-reliant. Never blame the teacher.

I think there are many ways to raise great kids. From what I can tell, Ayelet Waldman's kids are interesting, strong, and happy, and if that's the case, that's good parenting.

Tiger parenting is all about raising independent, creative, courageous kids. In America today, there's a dangerous tendency to romanticize creativity in a way that may undermine it.

You know, parenting is so personal. And we're all afraid that we didn't quite get it right. And it feels like the stakes are so high. By we - what if we made a mistake?

Everything I've ever done that's valuable is something I was afraid to try.

You can't invent Google, Facebook or the iPod unless you've mastered the basics, are willing to put in long hours and can pick yourself up from the floor when life knocks you down the first 10 times.

I'm suggesting that, ironically, the secret to becoming a world 'hyperpower' is tolerance. If you look at history, you see great powers being very tolerant in their rise to global dominance.

Nothing is fun until you're good at it.

A Western upbringing tends to stress questioning authority, which is always asking why, why, why.

Questioning authority is, I think, a great thing to instill in children. I just didn't have enough of that when I was little.

I worry that by losing my temper so much and being so harsh and yelling so much that, by example, I will have taught my daughters to be that way, and I'm now constantly telling them not to do that.

Oddly enough, I'm not a particularly judgmental person. I just don't have a lot of filtering when I'm in 'tiger mother' mode. I say what comes into my head.

I sort of feel like people are not that honest about their own parenting. Take any teenage household; tell me there is not yelling and conflict.

Both of my girls have very high self-esteem because they were both able to master certain things; I should think that's good for their confidence.

What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. pg 29

Be modest, be humble, be simple.

I'm a slave to my dogs and go out with them almost every day. They are poorly behaved if they don't run. They really act up.

Parenting cannot just be one size fits all.

Everything I do as a mother builds on a foundation of love and compassion.

When my kids wanted to give up on things, I wouldn't let them, and those are lifelong lessons.

Every day that you don't practice is a day you're getting worse.

The Romans thought of themselves as the chosen people, yet they built the greatest army on Earth by recruiting warriors from any background.

The truth is I'm not good at enjoying life.

All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that.

I do not think there was anything abusive in my house. Yet, I stand by a lot of my critiques of Western parenting. I think there's a lot of questions about how you instill true self-esteem.

I sort of feel like people are not that honest about their own parenting. Take any teenage household tell me there is not yelling and conflict.

I’m not holding myself out as a model, but I do believe that we in America can ask more of children than we typically do, and they will not only respond to the challenge, but thrive.