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Writer Quotes by Min Jin Lee

9 Writer quotes by Min Jin Lee

All Writer quotes Min Jin Lee’s page

Min Jin Lee’s thoughts on the writer’s craft arrive in nine succinct statements, reflecting her focus on immigration, family, and history. This brief collection offers a quick, resonant view of how she sees narrative as a bridge across generations.

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I think that if you're a writer and a woman, then you have to take humiliation very well.

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For me, whatever you write about should be worthy of your attention, worthy of your gifts. That's very important.

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A novel, especially a first novel, is... really an emotional autobiography. All these emotions I'm embarrassed at having had, I've written about.

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I have accepted the fact that I don't work very quickly, that I have been rejected a lot as a writer, and…

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It's my belief that I was a writer - a very hardworking writer - well before I was published. I did care…

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I like making things. I enjoy putting words and images on a blank space. There should be joy in the writing itself…

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I thought, 'Nobody wants this book, and I'm an idiot for having worked on it so hard.' But to succeed in writing,…

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We're always observing, and we're cautious people. We really want attention, but at the same time, we're ashamed of wanting attention. All…

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I find putting oneself out there difficult. I think writing and sharing writing require different skill sets. I want to be read,…

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If I meet a wise person, I think, 'Yes, tell me more about parenting, about marriage, about how to stay in love. Tell me…

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I was told many times that my writing was either too Korean - or not Korean enough.

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“[...] I talk to the dead although I don't believe in ghosts. But it makes me feel good to speak with them. Maybe that…

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“Casey glanced at her plate again, recalling the posters of her elementary school lunchroom: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. So, how much you ate…

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“Hoonie used to listen carefully to all the men who brought him news, and he would nod, exhale resolutely, and then get up to…

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I don't hold any contempt for people who are practicing law. I know how hard it is, I know how hard they work, and…

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I moved to Queens, New York, when I was seven and a half. I went to middle school in a foreign country, but I…

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I have romantic ideas about home and what it should mean.

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“It wasn't uncommon to hear rationalizations of this sort--the longing to transform bad deeds into good ones. No one ever wanted to hear that…

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“People are rotten everywhere you go. They’re no good. You want to see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his…

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I like making things. I enjoy putting words and images on a blank space. There should be joy in the writing itself because parts…

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“What did Joseph say to his brothers who had sold him into slavery when he saw them again? “You intended to harm me, but…

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“Sunja-ya, a woman’s life is endless work and suffering. There is suffering and then more suffering. It’s better to expect it, you know. You’re…

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I really love Japan, and I liked living there very much, and there are so many terrific things about Japan. However, I do think…

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“Don't do what I do but what you think is right. But whatever you do, you can't keep yourself from getting hurt. The heart…

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