Jing Pei

“Lebedeva’s eyes shone. “Masha, listen to me. Cosmetics are an extension of the will. Why do you think all men paint themselves when they go to fight? When I paint my eyes to match my soup, it is not because I have nothing better to do than worry over trifles. It says, I belong here, and you will not deny me. When I streak my lips red as foxgloves, I say, Come here, male. I am your mate, and you will not deny me. When I pinch my cheeks and dust them with mother-of-pearl, I say, Death, keep off, I am your enemy, and you will not deny me. I say these things, and the world listens, Masha. Because my magic is as strong as an arm. I am never denied.”
― Catherynne M. Valente, Deathless

“It might be that to surrender to happiness was to accept defeat, but it was a defeat better than many victories.”
― W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage

“Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.”
― Paulo Coelho

“No matter how happy I had been in the past I do not long for it. The present is always the moment for which I love.”
― Jamaica Kincaid, The Autobiography of My Mother