Chahua Liu Quotes

Mere existence is already the result of incredible luck. Such was the case on Earth in the past, and such has always been the case in this cruel universe. But at some point, humanity began to develop the illusion that they're entitled to life, that life can be taken for granted. ~ Liu Cixin

I need a dual-vector foil for cleansing. ~ Liu Cixin

Dad and I went on walking, our shadows touching. ~ Ken Liu

The northern people are riders and the southern people sailors; it is said quite true. ~ Liu Bei

Surveillance is surveillance. I can never understand why some people think it matters whether it's the government doing it to you or a company. ~ Ken Liu

From the right, you get demagogues shouting about brown-skinned anchor babies and clamoring to deport the undocumented. From the left, you get advocacy for the oppressed but otherwise, when it comes to national civic identity, mainly silence. ~ Eric Liu

Religion was no cure for dysfunction. ~ Marjorie M. Liu

The universe is full of echoes and shadows, the afterimages and last words of dead civilizations that have lost the struggle against entropy. Fading ripples in the cosmic background radiation, it is doubtful if most, or any, of these messages will ever be deciphered. Likewise, most of our thoughts and memories are destined to fade, to disappear, to be consumed by the very act of choosing and living. That is not a cause for sorrow, sweetheart. It is the fate of every species to disappear into the void that is the heat death of the universe. But long before then, the thoughts of any intelligent species worthy of the name will become as grand as the universe itself. ~ Ken Liu

The calf is capable of walking quite well now," Dazu said. "He never stumbles."

"But I told you to carry him back here," the teacher said. "The first thing a soldier must learn is to obey orders."

Every day, the calf grew a little heavier, and every day, Dazu had to struggle a little harder. He would collapse, exhausted, when he finally got to the ranch, and the calf would bound out of his arms, glad to be able to walk on his own and stretch out.

When winter rolled around again, Médo handed him a wooden sword and asked him to strike as hard as he could at the practice dummy. Dazu looked with distaste at the crude weapon with no edge, but he swung obediently.

The wooden dummy fell in half, cut clean through. He looked at the sword in his hand with wonder.

"It's not the sword," his teacher said. "Have you looked at yourself lately?" He brought Dazu to stand in front of a brightly polished shield.

The young man could hardly recognize the reflection. His shoulders filled the frame of the mirror. His arms and thighs were twice as thick as he remembered, and his chest bulged over his narrow waist.

"A great warrior trusts not his weapons, but himself. When you possess true strength, you can deal a killing blow even if all you have is a blade of grass.

"Now you're finally ready to learn from me. But first, go thank the calf for making you strong. ~ Ken Liu

This is utter crap!It's enough to put up big-character posters everywhere on the ground, but we should not send them into space. ~ Liu Cixin

It was probably very difficult to go from Chinese and then suddenly go to kindergarten and start speaking English; it's very hard to transition back and forth when you are in that pivotal age. It's also hard to transition back, but if I was immersed in the country for a given amount of time, you are surrounded by it, everyone is speaking, you are learning new things, you are practicing all the time. ~ Lucy Liu

Whatever they were dealing with was too important for them to care about keeping up appearances. ~ Liu Cixin

She could not bring herself to turn away from the night sky, for the stars and the blackness were the only escape she had when old faded memories returned to haunt her. ~ Narayan Liu

To quote the poets... we're fucked. ~ Marjorie M. Liu

He lacked the ability to thrive in society, but also the resources to ignore it. All he could do was hang on to the edge, suffering. ~ Liu Cixin

Mother Wolf, you called yourself. What does a wolf teach her pups but teeth and hunger? You didn't make me in your image. You made me into something worse. I have to know what that is. ~ Marjorie M. Liu

The Boomers will eventually have to accept that it is not possible to stay forever young or to stop aging. But it is possible, by committing to show up for others in community after community, to earn a measure of immortality. ~ Eric Liu

Wang walked past the three happily playing children and entered the room that Ye had indicated. He paused in front of the door, seized by a strange feeling. It was as if he had returned to his dream-filled youth. From the depths of his memory arose a tingling sadness, fragile and pure like morning dew, tinged with a rosy hue. Gently, ~ Liu Cixin

There are many ways to say I love you in this cold, dark, silent universe, as many as the twinkling stars. ~ Ken Liu

I have never run campaigns based on an ethnic coalition. ~ John Liu

It is my hope that by reducing the tax burden on small business owners that we can help them grow their businesses and, in doing so, create jobs. ~ John Liu

when humans are lost in space, it takes only five minutes to reach totalitarianism. ~ Liu Cixin

So let us recognise our shame and guilt; let us ache with self-reflection; let us eradicate the repetition of suffering and resist anger; let us learn to concretely tend to the suffering of an individual, of our common citizens, with equality; let us learn to live life with honour and dignity and a wealth of humanity. ~ Xiaobo Liu

I often went entire days without speaking - unable to get a word in over my inner taskmaster, who never shut up: You fat, disgusting slob, you'll never be thin enough, good enough, smart enough, tough or talented enough. ~ Aimee Liu

Identity in America is complicated but it's also simple: it's about whom you identify with and who identifies with you. ~ Eric Liu

There is no definitive census of all the intelligent species in the universe. Not only are there perennial arguments about what qualifies as intelligence, but each moment and everywhere, civilizations rise and fall, much as the stars are born and die. Time devours all. Yet every species has its unique way of passing on its wisdom through the ages, its way of making thoughts visible, tangible, frozen for a moment like a bulwark against the irresistible tide of time. Everyone makes books. ~ Ken Liu

My hometown is a very boring city. There isn't a lot of industry - there are a lot of trees. It's not like Beijing where the sky is always dark. In my city the sky is blue and the sun shines. ~ Liu Wen

Science fiction is a literature of possibilities. ~ Liu Cixin

This was a game popular among nobles and commoners alike. A category would be chosen - animals, plants, books, furniture - and everyone took turns comparing himself to an object from the chosen category. If the others judged the comparison apt, they would drink. If not, the player who made the comparison would drink. ~ Ken Liu

Of course? He told you that he was sent to kill your ass, and you're still with him?"
"For the record," M'cal said, "I did try to convince her to leave me."
"You must not have tried very hard. ~ Marjorie M. Liu

She may be from the sky, yet she is not so strange after all. ~ Ken Liu

Old friends are like old clothes: they fit the best. ~ Ken Liu

Master Ren: "Inquisitrix! Be warned: I am commander Ren Mormorian, apprentice nekomancer to the great and ancient two-faced Zorian of Whiteclaw House! I have raised the ancient dead!
I have fought the wraithmen of the Forsaken Forests! Cross me at your own peril!

You can't blame a cat for trying.

Flee! ~ Marjorie M. Liu