Quotes from Ezra F. Vogel

If there is one leader to whom most Chinese people express gratitude for improvements in their daily lives, it is Deng Xiaoping. Did any other leader in the twentieth century do more to improve the lives of so many? Did any other twentieth-century leader have such a large and lasting influence on world history?

it doesn't matter if the cat is black or white as long as it catches the mouse

These were not just Mao's mistakes, they were all our mistakes. Many of us made mistakes; we lacked experience and had poor judgment." He added, "We are very poor. We are very backward. We have to recognize that. We have a lot to do, a long way to go and a lot to learn.

the economy "is like a bird. You can't hold it in your hand but have to let it fly. But it might fly away, and that is why you need a cage to control it.

In his pursuit of economic modernization, Deng liked to say that he was groping for stones as he crossed the river.

Deng reaffirmed as well the correctness of the party's strategic goal of quadrupling the economy between 1980 and 2000 and making China a moderately developed country by the middle of the twenty-first century.

did not require the proposed sale of U.S. FX-15 fighter jets. At the end of their discussion, Reagan asked Lee Kuan Yew to carry the message to Taiwan President Chiang Ching-kuo that it would be difficult to supply all of Taiwan's requests and that President Chiang should not press for high-tech weapons at the moment, but that he, President Reagan, would not let Chiang down. A

does not refer to political rivalries

your hand but have to let it fly. But it might fly away, and that is why you need a cage to control it.