--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: American circumstances and Chiese…" description: "\"“American circumstances and Chiese character. How could I know these two things do not mix? I taught her how American circumstances work. If you are bo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/amy-tan-730_bad-luck_american-circumstances-and-chiese-charac_2097062.jpg" --- # American circumstances and Chiese character. How could I… ![“American circumstances and Chiese character. How could I know these two things do not mix? I taught her how American circumstances work. If you are born poor here, it's no lasting shame. You are first in line for a scholarship. If the roof crashes on your head, no need to cry over this bad luck…” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/amy-tan-730_bad-luck_american-circumstances-and-chiese-charac_2097062.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/amy-tan-730_bad-luck_american-circumstances-and-chiese-charac_2097062.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/amy-tan-730_bad-luck_american-circumstances-and-chiese-charac_2097062.jpg) > ““American circumstances and Chiese character. How could I know these two things do not mix? I taught her how American circumstances work. If you are born poor here, it's no lasting shame. You are first in line for a scholarship. If the roof crashes on your head, no need to cry over this bad luck. You can sue anybody, make the landlord fix it. You do not have to sit like a Buddha under a tree letting pigeons drop their dirty business on your head. You can buy an umbrella. Or go inside a Catholic church. In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you. She learned thse things, but I couldn't teach her Chinses character. How to obey parents and listen to your mother's mind. How not to show your own thoughts, to put your feelings behind your face so you can take advantage of hidden opportunities. Why easy things are not worth pursuing. How to know your own worth and polish it, never flashing it around like a cheap ring. Why Chinese thinking is best.”” [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker contrasts American individualism and opportunity with traditional Chinese values of obedience and restraint, suggesting they are difficult to reconcile. **In simple terms:** American freedom versus Chinese discipline Key Takeaway Recognize both cultural strengths and tensions Themes culture clash identity family expectations Mood reflective thoughtful Type cultural commentary personal essay When to use this quote - immigrant families - parent‑child relationships - career choices - education decisions Key Concepts individualism collectivism social mobility Questions to Reflect On - How can one honor heritage while embracing new opportunities? - What compromises are needed for cultural integration? A Different Perspective Cultural differences can create internal conflict and misunderstanding ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-circumstances-1505128/) [Bad luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-luck/) [Chiese Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiese-character-4172119/) [Circumstances Chiese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances-chiese-4172118/) [Circumstances Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances-work-1505130/) [Dirty business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirty-business/) [Easy things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-things/) [Says Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-circumstances-804266/) ## Related quotes > [“I taught her how American circumstances work. If you are born poor here, it’s no lasting shame. You are first in line for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-taught-her-how-american-circumstances-work-if-you-are-born-poor/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [In America nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/in-america-nobody-says-you-have-to-keep-the-circumstances-somebody/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“It’s my fault she is this way. I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/it-s-my-fault-she-is-this-way-i-wanted-my-children-to-have-the-best/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these things do not mix?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-wanted-my-children-to-have-the-best-combination-american/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I hope Anne's book will have an effect on the rest of your life so that insofar as it is possible in your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-frank/i-hope-anne-s-book-will-have-an-effect-on-the-rest-of-your-life-so/) [Otto Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-frank/) > [How families interact is not some abstract concept of mother, son, father, daughter; it has to do with economic circumstances, the work they do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/how-families-interact-is-not-some-abstract-concept-of-mother-son/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [Circumstances work in your favor when you think and work in your favor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/circumstances-work-in-your-favor-when-you-think-and-work-in-your-favor/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [It will help erase the idea that politics is a second-rate profession and a dirty business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-will-help-erase-the-idea-that-politics-is-a-second-rate-profession/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And the existence is tedious, anyway; it is a senseless, dirty business, this life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/and-the-existence-is-tedious-anyway-it-is-a-senseless-dirty-business/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“The Japanese fought to win - it was a savage, brutal, inhumane, exhausting and dirty business. 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He patted my knee, not to congratulate, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/it-is-a-dark-and-dirty-business-will-henry-and-you-are-well-on-your/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“The organization likes to do their dirty business where no one can see it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/the-organization-likes-to-do-their-dirty-business-where-no-one-can/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [“There’s a lot of dirty theology out there, the religious counterpart to dirty politics and dirty business, I suppose. You might call it spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/there-s-a-lot-of-dirty-theology-out-there-the-religious-counterpart/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [“Once in power, Stalin’s campaign to succeed Lenin required a legitimate heroic career which he did not possess because of his experience in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/once-in-power-stalin-s-campaign-to-succeed-lenin-required-a/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) ## More by Amy Tan > [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. That becomes part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/shanghainese-people-are-good-negotiators-they-re-very-persistent-and/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [You should think about your character. Know where you are changing, how you will be changed, what cannot be changed back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-should-think-about-your-character-know-where-you-are-changing-how/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-hid-my-deepest-feelings-so-well-i-forgot-where-i-placed-them/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“Lebih baik jadi orang yang TIDAK TERLUPAKAN daripada orang yang MEMBOSANKAN -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lebih-baik-jadi-orang-yang-tidak-terlupakan-daripada-orang-yang/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-ashamed-she-is-ashamed-because-she-is-my-daughter-and-i-am-proud/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) [Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## More Bad luck quotes > [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) > [Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/bad-luck-isn-t-brought-by-broken-mirrors-but-by-broken-minds/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/i-never-knew-an-early-rising-hard-working-prudent-man-careful-of-his/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“I didn't do any of what they told me,' she said, 'because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-didn-t-do-any-of-what-they-told-me-she-said-because-the-more-i/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Everyone knows it is bad luck to step on a toad or on the shadow of a tree, to walk under a ladder,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-knows-it-is-bad-luck-to-step-on-a-toad-or-on-the-shadow-of-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-is-no-bad-luck-in-the-world-but-whitefolks/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [The biggest trap, the biggest dungeon in life isn't laziness or bad luck, it's comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-biggest-trap-the-biggest-dungeon-in-life-isn-t-laziness-or-bad/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [All of us have bad luck and good luck. The man who persists through the bad luck - who keeps right on going -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-collier/all-of-us-have-bad-luck-and-good-luck-the-man-who-persists-through/) [Robert Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-collier/) > [“I was just beginning to wonder how long I would have to wait when finally a guard sauntered up and said, “Galloway, get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-galloway/i-was-just-beginning-to-wonder-how-long-i-would-have-to-wait-when/) [Noah Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-galloway/) > [“Oh, I don’t buy lottery tickets... because if I won, and I was capable of that kind of odd luck, then I would also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissi-sepe/oh-i-don-t-buy-lottery-tickets-because-if-i-won-and-i-was-capable-of/) [Chrissi Sepe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissi-sepe/) > [“Before Tessa could answer, there was a knock at the door, and a familiar voice. "It's Jem. Tessa, are you there?" Charlotte sat bolt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/before-tessa-could-answer-there-was-a-knock-at-the-door-and-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“If you were crossing the road and saw a black cat passing, you may possibly get hit by a car, or a mail boy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/if-you-were-crossing-the-road-and-saw-a-black-cat-passing-you-may/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [I'm very superstitious, and I think it's bad luck. 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If the roof crashes on your head, no need to cry over this bad luck. You can sue anybody, make the landlord fix it. You do not have to sit like a Buddha under a tree letting pigeons drop their dirty business on your head. You can buy an umbrella. Or go inside a Catholic church. In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you. She learned thse things, but I couldn't teach her Chinses character. How to obey parents and listen to your mother's mind. How not to show your own thoughts, to put your feelings behind your face so you can take advantage of hidden opportunities. Why easy things are not worth pursuing. How to know your own worth and polish it, never flashing it around like a cheap ring. 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