Quotes from Gail Tsukiyama

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.

But how will I know it's my destiny?' 'Like love it will possess you... You can't help but know.

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.

Don't ever think that just because you do things differently, you're wrong.

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.

Just remember, Every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you're fighting for.

To read and write will help you understand life. . .to sew and mend will help you survive it.

When you're young, you can excuse many things, hoping they will strengthen with time.

It takes greater courage to live.

Do you think a champion is made out of thin air? It's through the hardships you endure that you'll gain real strength.

life is not just from within, it extends all around you, whether you wish it to or not.

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.

To have strength without knowing how to use it means nothing.

We live a short enough time on this earth. A man should do what he loves.

The garden is a world filled with secrets. Slowly, I see more each day. The black pines twist and turn to form graceful shapes, while the moss is a carpet of green that invites you to sit by the pond. Even the stone lanterns, which dimly light the way at night, allow you to see only so much.

Sometimes things don't work out as they're planned, and there have to be sacrifices in order to make things better again.

Nothing ever stands still, and neither should you.

Success is not handed to you. You must work hard for it and you must never dishonor what you've achieved.

Wei cleared his throat and said, "Have you heard the saying ` The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher '? It seems I've been the pitcher most of my life. I've forgotten how to be fluid. It feels as if I'm finally learning now," he said.

What wars really destroyed were families.

Matsu gathered up what little was left of the food and wrapped it back up in the furoshiki. 'I followed you and the others down to the beach yesterday morning. I wondered if you might try to find your way to peace as she did.' 'I couldn't,' I began to cry, turning away in shame. Then Matsu leaned over close to my ear. He smelled of sweat and the earth as he whispered, 'It takes greater courage to live.

Sometimes the house is so quiet I feel like the only noise that fills my mind is what I've created myself. Remembered conversations come back to me as if my friends and family were right here in the room.

Just remember that life is made up of change. We can't run away from it.

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.