Quotes May 27, 2025

It’s impossible for any artist to represent an entire community.
David Henry Hwang,
playwright, screenwriter, librettist
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
 
 
 
 
Let us all be attentive to new ideas, to advancing means, to dawning needs, to impetuses of change so that we may achieve, beyond architectural originality, a harmony of spirit in the service of man.
You cannot defend your design without knowing what you’re designing for.
I. M. Pei,
architect
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
 
 
 
 
Rules existed for a reason: if you followed them, you would succeed; if you didn’t, you might burn the world to the ground.
Celeste Ng,
writer
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
 
 
 
 
Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.
Bruce Lee,
martial artist, actor, director, philosopher
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
 
 
 
 
One of the marks of a great teacher lies not only in an ability to impart knowledge but also in knowing when to encourage a student to go off on his own.
Yo-Yo Ma,
cellist
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
 
 
 
 
Your knowing about what’s happening in the rest of the world gives you a chance to care, and it is that empathy that offers the greatest hope.
Ann Curry,
journalist
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
 
 
 
 
Remember the past / But do not dwell there / Face the future / Where all our hopes stand.
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole,
singer, musician
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
 
 
 
 
Don’t ever think that just because you do things differently, you’re wrong.
Gail Tsukiyama,
writer
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month