Daughters of the Sun and Moon Quotes

“I hope in your next life you come back as a snail!”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Every man in China had to keep his hair in a long braid to show his allegiance to the Manchu emperor. If a man cut off his queue, he would be executed on sight.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Americans held contempt for and distrust of Chinese women. (In recent years”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“The Chinese Massacre of 1871 is considered to be one of the largest mass lynchings in the history of the United States”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“All that ended when Yo Hing became the leader of the Hong Chow Tong and Sam Yuen took control of the Nin Yung Tong. Now the rival gang leaders were as companionable as two weasels fighting”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“I’ve longed for a friend since I arrived here. Dove”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Auntie Lau masquerades as our friend and advisor, but in actuality she’s a guard who makes sure we understand that we are interchangeable, that we—as merchandise—aren’t damaged during the voyage, and that we learn to accept our situation.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“We call her Worthless Girl,” Baba answers, “but the name recorded in the ancestral temple is Sing Ye.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“the tragedy of what happened but that few people, even here in Los Angeles, seem to have heard about it and that we are doomed, apparently, to repeat some version of this history, whether with the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during the Covid-19 pandemic or more recently with the rounding up of undocumented people in Southern California and around the country.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Even today, we still can’t own property or become naturalized citizens. And for the past forty-four years, the Chinese Exclusion Act has barred emigration from China.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend’s forehead.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Bitterness pours from her with each word. “And we’re blamed when we don’t become full with child.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Where does our worth lie as women? We’re raised to believe we’re worthless branches on the family tree. We’re reproached if our faces or bodies are imperfect. We’re criticized if we aren’t diligent in our household duties or don’t excel in the womanly arts.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“No one knew it yet, but the massacre would push the news of the Great Chicago Fire off front pages worldwide. Los Angeles would be condemned internationally as a place of hate and violence.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“In adversity, true feelings are revealed, meaning that in the worst moments you learn who is your friend and who is not. We also say A crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“People have kicked us, spit on us, thrown rocks at us, taunted us, and now tortured and killed some of us. To give up now, to cower before threats and brutality, would be to let the gweilo triumph. We can’t—we won’t—let that happen.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“I will never have children of my own, but I am now an auntie to a niece and nephew. I have climbed an important rung on the ladder of life...”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“1882, Congress would pass the Chinese Exclusion Act, which had the intent of barring all Chinese from immigrating to the United States.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Then, in 1873, the US Supreme Court eviscerated the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. Only formerly enslaved black people—and not Chinese—were to be protected.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“The completion of the transcontinental railroad brought a wave of cheap white labor into California, which, in turn, birthed the “Chinese Must Go” and “Driving Out” movements.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“I’m on a different path now—one that leads to light. I envision”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with inner courage dares to live.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall,”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“I’ve longed for a friend since I arrived here. Dove, you, and I lead different lives, but together we are daughters of the sun and moon.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“It’s called ‘indentured servitude’ to get around American laws,” Moon says, “but if you are kidnapped by a stranger or sold by your family, then brought here against your will, and sold again, with no hope of paying back what you owe to regain your freedom, then only one word is fair and appropriate to use, and that is slavery.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“It can take a lifetime to make a friend, but you can lose one in an hour,”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“It will be best if you remember the saying that is older than time. Noodles are not real food, and women are not real human beings,” he recites in a deep voice.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“Dove wanted to love and be loved, Petal craved freedom, and I sought justice. But I could be wrong. Maybe I’m the one who longed for love, while Petal looked for justice, and Dove needed to find freedom. Many years have passed, so forgive me if I see things differently now—with hindsight—than I did as”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“We didn’t have the right to own land, marry a white person, vote, or testify in court against a white American. And, as women, we could be bought, sold, and owned.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon

“law. So I write my story now, recalling as best I can and capturing the moments before they disappear from my mind. The palest ink is better than the best memory.”
― Lisa See, Daughters of the Sun and Moon