“...the emotional health of a village depended upon having a man whom everyone hated.” — Barry Hughart Copy Share Image
The emotional health of a village depended upon having a man whom everyone loved to hate, and Heaven had blessed us with two of them. — Barry Hughart Copy Share Image
“The mind is a miser," he said. "Nothing is ever thrown away, and it's amazing what you can find if you dig deep enough.” — Barry Hughart Copy Share
I have never been able to understand why perfectly sensible people waste time being wittily obscure instead of just saying what they want and… — Barry Hughart Copy Share
“Master Li turned bright red while he scorched the air with the Sixty Sequential Sacrileges with which he had won the all-China Freestyle Blasphemy… — Barry Hughart Copy Share
I shall clasp my hands together and bow to the corners of the world. May your villages remain ignorant of tax collectors, and may… — Barry Hughart Copy Share
“Occasionally a moderately intelligent thought misses a turn and accidentally enters my mind” — Barry Hughart Copy Share
“Ox, at an early age a Chinese genius gazes at the path that lies ahead and reaches for a wine jar," Master Li said.… — Barry Hughart Copy Share
“everybody knows that the soul of a cat is formed from the composite souls of nine debauched nuns who failed in their vows.” — Barry Hughart Copy Share
“Ox, what occupation is most closely linked to insanity?' 'Emperor,' I said promptly.” — Barry Hughart Copy Share
“Nothing on the face of this earth - and I do mean nothing - is half so dangerous as a children's story that happens… — Barry Hughart Copy Share
“The problem with 'the crown jewel of Chinese literature' [Dream of the Red Chamber] is that it has two thousand pages and an equal… — Barry Hughart Copy Share
'Immortality is only for the gods,' he whispered. 'I wonder how they can stand it.' — Barry Hughart Copy Share
“Boy, just look at the soul shining through my eyes! It’s like a goddamned flower!” — Barry Hughart Copy Share
