Amy Tan Quotes

I had fought for my independence and fought for my freedom to do as I chose.

Our freedom can be measured by the number of things we can walk away from.

It's important for me to be free and know I'm acting for myself. I do things because I want to, and that's important. You want to be your own person.

But the whole point of liberation is that you get out. Restructure your life. Act by yourself.

I always had that yearning, that hunger, to one day be independent and be my own person and build my own world. The most fulfilling thing is to live a life where you have freedom.

The thing that has never changed is I do what I want to do. If I can't do what I want to do, I don't want to do it.

No one's going to tell me how to make my own choices. For too many years, everybody told me what to say and what to do and how to be.

I'll do what I like. It's my own life.

Being independent in my choices is important to me.

I have the freedom to choose the roles I want.

When you're independent, you're with somebody because you want to be there not because you feel like you have to be there.

I want to live life on my own terms.

You don't have to buy from anyone. You don't have to work at any particular job. You don't have to participate in any given relationship. You can choose.

Whether or not we establish freedom rests with ourselves.

Freedom is control in your own life.

No man bosses me around, and no man ever will.

I enjoy making the decisions.

Yes, you must have the courage of being free.

Advice to intellectuals: let no-one represent you.

There has to be room for people to make mistakes and lead their own lives.

I wanted to use my possibility to be an individual, and I suppose I have, no?

People tell you the world looks a certain way. Parents tell you how to think. Schools tell you how to think. TV. Religion. And then at a certain point, if you're lucky, you realize you can make up your own mind. Nobody sets the rules but you. You can design your own life.

I have the freedom to take chances, to say no. I have the freedom to be who I really want to be, rather than have to conform to this or that just to stay alive.

I do what I do; I can't control who thinks what.

I'll take any life in which I can make choices and have agency, and America is not a bad place for all that.