7 Quotes by Lisa Ko

No matter how tired I was, I always felt more awake when I walked.

My new life was unstable and unsure, but each new day was shot through with new possibility.

I knew you couldn't remember, and I hated when adults spoke to children like they were idiots.

I want you to know that you were wanted. I decided: I wanted you. Yi Ba thought that only men could do what they wanted, but he was wrong. I stood with my toes in the ocean, euphoric at how far I had come, and two months later, when I gave birth to you, I would feel accomplished, tougher than any man.

His mother used to swat at his shoulders in a way that looked playful but felt serious when he spoke too much English and not enough Chinese; his weapon of choice had been the language that made her dependent on him.

Grandparents treat them better than they treated you. They know the babies are going to leave again. Old age softens people.""Send him back," said Hetty. "It's the only way.""Free babysitting," said Ming.The two women laughed, but their laughter was the kind with no core, only loose edges.

I was often fatigued by the city, its bad breath belching through vents in the pavement, a guy testing his cell phone ringtones on a packed subway.