A man was the sum of his limits; freedom only made him see how much so. — Gish Jen Freedom Copy Share Image
I like to listen. I'm much more interested in listening than in speaking, for sure. — Gish Jen Communication Copy Share Image
I hate to generalize because there are always so many exceptions to any rule. — Gish Jen Exception Copy Share Image
It's a matter of whether you see the self as fundamentally in relationship to other selves or not - whether you see… — Gish Jen Boundaries Copy Share Image
For students who are in the most creative group in America to somehow be presumed to be narrow is just completely meshugga. — Gish Jen America Copy Share Image
There's nothing about interdependence that would keep somebody from making art. — Gish Jen Art Copy Share Image
It's human to hear stories and to know how people live and to imagine how that is for them. It's very interdependent! — Gish Jen Humans Copy Share Image
Anything is possible. A man is what he makes up his mind to be. — Gish Jen Anything is possible Copy Share Image
Chinese language tends to be quick, economical. To know what people are saying, you always need to know what the context is. — Gish Jen Chinese Copy Share Image
Many women tend toward the interdependent end of things, we tend to see ourselves in relationship to others to a far greater… — Gish Jen Degrees Copy Share Image
The independents are the ones who tend to commit suicide. I'm not against this way of being in the world. Individuals have… — Gish Jen Commit Copy Share Image
“In truth, he had always considered the sight of men eating croissants slightly ridiculous, especially at the beginning, when for the first… — Gish Jen Food-humor Copy Share Image
I'm trying to give people an idea of what black looks like and what white looks like before I introduce them to… — Gish Jen Black Copy Share Image
“Plain boiled food, plain boiled thinking. Even his name is plain boiled: John. Maybe because I grew up with black bean sauce… — Gish Jen Food Copy Share Image
“He would not want to sound like a haunted man; he would not want to sound as though he was calling from… — Gish Jen Loss-of-a-baby Copy Share Image
“He was like a nation in crisis, looking back, and back and back — its history might be ugly, but its past… — Gish Jen History Copy Share Image
... there is ... a big aspect of play in writing novels, and making the story more and more elaborate is just… — Gish Jen Aspect Copy Share Image
“One left; things shifted in one's absence; one returned to something else. Time frustrated all. There was no sneaking past its rough… — Gish Jen Time Copy Share Image
A white person was by definition somebody. Other people needed, across their hearts, one steel rib. — Gish Jen Definitions Copy Share Image
“What's more, he was going to have a full American breakfast with bacon and eggs, none of this continental bullshit.” — Gish Jen Humorous-quotes Copy Share Image
“He was not what he made up his mind to be. A man was the sum of his limits: freedom only made… — Gish Jen Freedom Copy Share Image
That there should be a purpose to suffering, that a person should be chosen for it, special - these are houses of… — Gish Jen Chosen Copy Share Image
I think that there is a bias in the current literary climate, which is not only very Western but very male. — Gish Jen Bias Copy Share Image
These are ideas that work for many, and that may well reflect your true understanding of life. — Gish Jen Ideas Copy Share Image
