Lily Zheng > Quotes

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” the CEO quickly interjected. “What do they actually want us to do?” It wasn’t a rhetorical question but a pointed one clearly directed at the DEI professional in the room—me. Heads turned toward me, and I knew I had to deliver the unwelcome news. “If ‘they’ means your customers? They don’t want you to commit to doing anything at this point. They want you to have already done it.”
― Lily Zheng, DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right

“If you are the first in your family or community to go to college or have a competitive, high-paying job or branch out from traditional work into acting or the arts or entrepreneurship—or even if this path is just new to you—you are likely to feel less confident in your abilities and to wonder if you really belong. This is not because you’re an imposter or a fraud, Dr. O’Reilly argues—it’s because you’re a trailblaze. Trail-blazing can bring with it plenty of self-doubt and shaken confidence, but it’s also a courageous and important move that can bring many gifts to you and your family or community (even if they are shaking their heads at you right now). So if you are plagued with self-doubt in your new school or job or with your other life choices, check to see if you may be trailblazing in some way.”
― Lily Zheng, The Ethical Sellout: Maintaining Your Integrity in the Age of Compromise

“It’s no coincidence that while we tend to think people sell out for personal gain, the majority of the people said they sold out to avoid loss.”
― Lily Zheng, The Ethical Sellout: Maintaining Your Integrity in the Age of Compromise