Like most Chinese, I am basically a fatalist - too sophisticated for religion and too superstitious to deny the gods.

you must not use wood to put out the fire.

If mortals wait until the gods remake the world to their liking to be happy, they are already in hell.

prophecies do not alter fate, only confirm it.

The young see what they wish to see. The old see what they do not wish.

to ask for anything of consequence from friends who cannot refuse is uncivilized.

Principles have a way of yielding to power.

A secret, like a chore, always seems to lead to another, one even more troublesome than the first.

What harm is there in dreaming, if it eases pain? What good is reality, if it blots out hope? Can a man's mind be washed without bleaching his soul?

Hell won't be so bad, you know. After all, I'll be there to keep you company.

So you’re positive the killer is a man.”“Yes, I think my gender can take responsibility for this one. Women don’t cut out other women’s hearts.”“We can.

Grace arrived, like the big, loopy stitches with which a grandmotherly stranger might baste your hem temporarily.

I've obviously made a very nice amount of money. I have a very nice lifestyle. I get to do what I love. Very few actors get to do that, and even fewer are lucky enough to work steadily for 24 years.

We prefer humility in others - and if we prefer it in others - we can soon prefer it in ourselves.

Buddha says: "Do not flatter your benefactor!". Let one repeat this saying in a Christian church : it immediately purifies the air of everything Christian.

Cats are the ultimate narcissists. You can tell this because of all the time they spend on personal grooming. Dogs aren't like this. dog's idea of personal grooming is to roll in a dead fish.

The outer prisons are made by the community to contain those who have dared break its laws. The inner prisons each man makes for himself because of what he feels are his transgressions.

My mom taught me a lot. A lot about minding your own business and leaving other people's business alone. And let them think what they want.