Gail Tsukiyama > Quotes

“Sometimes you can’t let go of the past without facing it again.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Samurai's Garden

“It is not an act of bravery to try to save your own village. It is an instinct to protect what you possess. Bravery is when you step in to help when you have nothing to lose.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Samurai's Garden

“Beauty exists where you least expect to find it.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Samurai's Garden

“Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There's no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, Dreaming Water: A Novel

“Everything seems simpler from a distance.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“The eyes mirror the heart of a person. An entire life can be seen through them. Love, sorrow, deceit, pain. If you look closely, it’s all there.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Language of Threads

“Even a snail will eventually reach its destination.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“In the end, it doesn’t matter what words are said or unsaid. . . .Life’s mistakes are made whether you can see them or not. What counts is how we learn to live with them.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Language of Threads

“...life is not just from within, it extends all around you, whether you wish it to or not.”
― Gail Tsukiyama

“To read and write will help you understand life. . .to sew and mend will help you survive it.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Language of Threads

“Do you think a champion is made out of thin air? It’s through the hardships you endure that you’ll gain real strength.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“Nothing ever stands still, and neither should you.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, Women of the Silk

“We can’t run away from what defines our fates. Who we are and what we believe in grow from the roots of our past, no matter how much we might try to deny it.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Language of Threads

“What wars really destroyed were families.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“Just remember, Every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you’re fighting for.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“Just remember that life is made up of change. We can’t run away from it.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Language of Threads

“To be noble,. . .was to account for the life you lived, to always account for your mistakes, and to have dignity and worth.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“We live a short enough time on this earth. A man should do what he loves.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“To have strength without knowing how to use it means nothing.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“Don’t you think every face tells its own story? Like a book? More like a poem. If you study it long enough, you’ll soon find its meaning.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“Don’t ever think that just because you do things differently, you’re wrong.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, Women of the Silk

“Grief was an opponent he would never be able to defeat.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“Near the gardens, Pei stopped and caught her breath. She liked sweet-voiced Song Lee and hoped for the best in dealing with the other sisters, but Pei rememered all too well the different personalities that had affected her life, first at the girls' house, then at the silk factory and sisters' house. Dealing with so many people was often like playing a game of chess. There were so many pieces, all moving in different directions. It was always wise to guard all sides against capture.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Language of Threads

“Do you think a champion is made out of thin air? It's through the hardships you endure that you'll gain real strength.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“Sometimes things don’t work out as they’re planned, and there have to be sacrifices in order to make things better again.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, Women of the Silk

“Fear seems to be the ruling judge.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, Women of the Silk

“But how will I know it's my destiny?'

'Like love it will possess you... You can't help but know.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“Just don’t ever think you deserve to be beaten.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“We’re stepping into a new world, and an entire way of thinking must be changed. But the old ideas can’t be easily discarded. Like a pendulum, new ways must swing to the other side before returning.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

“Success is not handed to you. You must work hard for it and you must never dishonor what you’ve achieved.”
― Gail Tsukiyama, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms