Jifu

“I believe in every possible manifestation of spiritual strangeness. I believe in all possible escapes. The only thing I cannot endure is reality, whatever it may be. I believe that the writer is defined by the constant necessity of creating a world, to depart from this world. Literature is more concerned with misery than with happiness. Writing is directly related to frustration. It is a reflection of personal desperation. The writer is profoundly disgusted with his reality.”
― Paul Theroux, On The Plain Of Snakes: A Mexican Journey – A Humanizing Exploration of the US-Mexico Border, Immigration Debate, and the Layered World of a Region in Conflict

“But by reading their books, I saw the other side of them - their humanity. Somehow I was sure that if people were willing to read each other, and see the light of other cultures, there would be no war on earth.”
― Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, The Mountains Sing