The Mountains Sing Quotes

“What my uncle said made me think. I had resented America, too. But by reading their books, I saw the other side of them--their humanity. Somehow I was sure that if people were willing to read each other, and see the light of other cultures, there would be no war on earth.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Human lives were short and fragile. Time and illnesses consumed us, like flames burning away these pieces of wood. But it didn’t matter how long or short we lived. It mattered more how much light we were able to shed on those we loved and how many people we touched with our compassion.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“I realized that war was monstrous. If it didn’t kill those it touched, it took away a piece of their souls, so they could never be whole again.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“If our stories survive, we will not die, even when our bodies are no longer here on this Earth.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“As long as I have my voice, I am still alive.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Only through love can we drive away the darkness of evil from this earth.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Whenever humans failed us, it was nature who could help save us.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Try to forgive and forget, Ngọc,” said Grandma. “If you bear grudges, you’re the one who’ll have to bear the burden of sorrow.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“The more I read, the more I became afraid of wars. Wars have the power to turn graceful and cultured people into monsters.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“If I had a wish, I would want nothing fancy, just a normal day when all of us could be together as a family; a day where we could just cook, eat, talk, and laugh. I wondered how many people around the world were having such a normal day and didn’t know how special and sacred it was.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Oh, Guava, I used to think that we were the ones in charge of our destinies, but I learned then that, in time of war, normal citizens were nothing but leaves that would fall in the thousands or millions in the surge of a single storm.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“History will write itself in people's memories, and as long as those memories live on, we can have faith that we can do better.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“But by reading their books, I saw the other side of them - their humanity. Somehow I was sure that if people were willing to read each other, and see the light of other cultures, there would be no war on earth.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Being a mother is never easy... It’s about failing, learning, and then failing again.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“I wish I could take back the words I’d flung at her, but words are like water: once they have escaped one’s mouth, they’re spilled onto the floor. Words are like knives, leaving invisible wounds that continue to bleed.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Soft and persistent rain penetrates the earth better than a storm. I need to be patient with him.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“The challenges faced by Vietnamese people throughout history are as tall as the tallest mountains. If you stand too close, you won't be able to see their peaks. Once you step away from the currents of life, you will have the full view...”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“But war isn’t kindness or sympathy, Hương. War is death, sorrow, and misery.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“In your schoolbooks, you won't find anything about the Land Reform nor about the internal fighting of the Viet Minh. A part of our country's history has been erased, together with the lives of countless people. We're forbidden to talk about events that relate to past mistakes or the wrongdoing of those in power, for they give themselves the right to rewrite history. But you're old enough to know that history will write itself in people's memories, and as long as those memories live on, we can have faith that we can do better.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Wars have the power to turn graceful and cultured people into monsters.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Please forgive me, for I have fought in the war. But I didn't fight against you, I fought for my right to freedom.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Calm your mind and build your inner strength,”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Cruelty dispensed, cruelty returned.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Only through honesty can we learn about the truth.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“The war might destroy our houses, but it can't extinguish our spirit”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“But it didn’t matter how long or short we lived. It mattered more how much light we were able to shed on those we loved and how many people we touched with our compassion.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“I’ll never forget your kindness,” Grandma told our hosts. “Một miếng khi đói bằng một gói khi no.” One bite when starving equals one bundle when full. “Lá lành đùm lá rách,” Mrs. Tùng replied. Intact leaves safeguard ripped leaves. “You’re welcome to stay with us at any time.” She clutched Grandma’s hand. I”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“Years later, I was to learn that hundreds of thousands of Laotians and Cambodians perished in the war known internationally as “the Việt Nam War,” but called by the current Vietnamese government “the Resistance War against America to Save the Nation.” Regardless of its name, even today the war continues to kill children in Việt Nam, Laos, and Cambodia, with millions of tons of unexploded ordnance still buried in the belly of the earth.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“But war isn't kindness or sympathy, Huong. War is death, sorrow, and misery.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing

“She was a beautiful lotus flower that had risen from a pond of mud.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing