And all that talk about the breakup being good for us- who am I trying to fool? I'm cut loose, untethered, not belonging to anything or anybody. - Amy Tan

A girl is like a young tree, she said. You must stand tall and listen to your mother standing next to you. That is the only way to grow strong and straight. But if you bend to listen to other people, you will grow crooked and weak. You will fall to the ground with the first strong wind. And then you will be like a weed, growing wild in any direction, running along the ground until someone pulls you out and throws you away.

Ying-ying, you have tiger eyes. They gather fire in the day. At night they shine golden.

Being able to restrain my emotions isn’t a great victory — it’s the pitiful proof of lost love.