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Iris Chang

Iris Chang Quotes

Historian

Iris Chang was a renowned Chinese American historian recognized for her works on the Chinese diaspora and the history of the Chinese in the United States. She achieved acclaim for her book 'The Rape of Nanking', which meticulously documented the events of the Nanking Massacre during World War II. Born on March 28, 1968, in Champaign, Illinois, she passed away tragically on November 9, 2004.

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Famous Iris Chang Quotes

“If you are struck by a bus, someone may steal your purse or wallet while you lie injured, but many more will come to your aid, trying to save your precious life. One person will call 911, and another will race down the street to alert a police officer on his or her beat. Someone else will take off his coat, fold it, and place it under your head, so that if these are indeed your last moments of life you will die in the small but real comfort of knowing that someone cared about you.”

Compassion Kindness Comforting

Book:The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

Source: The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

“Its a wonderful thing to see a segment of our population that is open and eager to learn more about Chinese culture. It has filtered into the mainstream. You see credit-card ads on TV with white couples and Chinese babies.”

Culture White Wonderful Tvs Baby Couple Population Credit Cards Chinese Ads Mainstream Wonderful Things Credit Card Chinese Culture

Author:Iris Chang

“When you believe you have a future, you think in terms of generations and years. When you do not, you live not just by the day — but by the minute.”

Thinking Years Believe Term Generations Minutes

Author:Iris Chang

“As the Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel warned years ago, to forget a holocaust is to kill twice.”

Years Forget Years Ago World War Ii Holocaust Nobel

Book:The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

Source: The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

“Almost all people have this potential for evil, which would be unleashed only under certain dangerous social circumstances.”

People Would Be Certain Evil Social Dangerous Circumstances Unleashed

Author:Iris Chang

“They probably do have an Asian Barbie.”

Author:Iris Chang

“Racism is always there underneath, but usually it is exploited in these times of economic crisis, and it's hard to find out when one slides into another.”

Hard Economic Racism Crisis Hard Times Racist Slides Economic Crisis

Author:Iris Chang

“If the conditions were right there could be great acceptance. Often it is only when they pose an economic or political threat that it turns really ugly.”

Ifs Political Turns Economic Conditions Acceptance Threat Ugly

Author:Iris Chang

“Books are the ultimate way for writers to reach immortality.”

Way Book Ultimate Immortality

Author:Iris Chang

“The spoken word vanished with the wind. Likewise, the unrecorded life disappears as if it never existed.”

Ifs Wind Disappear Spoken Word

Author:Iris Chang

“I have certainly amassed many historical research gathering skills.”

Skills Research Historical Gathering Historical Research

Author:Iris Chang

“I may attempt a novel. I think that no matter what you write, it requires being honest with oneself, and you have to pull yourself out of the whirlwind of daily life.”

Thinking Writing May Matter Novel Honest No Matter What Oneself Being Honest Daily Life Whirlwind

Author:Iris Chang

“After working as a journalist I went to a writing program at Johns Hopkins. It was interesting because it was neither journalistic nor historical, but it emphasized writing style, and afterwards I was asked to write my first book.”

Writing Firsts Book Interesting Style Program Historical Journalist Hopkins Journalistic Writing Style

Author:Iris Chang

“For some reason, I seem to be bothered whenever I see acts of injustice and assaults on people's civil liberties. I imagine what I write in the future will follow in that vein. Whether it's fiction or non-fiction.”

People Writing Reason Seems Fiction Liberty Imagine Injustice Assault Veins Bothered Non Fiction Civil Liberties

Author:Iris Chang

“It is very difficult to hang onto the relics of history.”

Difficult Relics

Author:Iris Chang

“It's much more difficult to work on a broad subject than on a specific one, because even if it's hard to find the information, if you look hard enough for something specific you will find it, and you will discover things that you wouldn't have thought of before.”

Ifs Looks Hard Enough Difficult Subjects Information Broads

Author:Iris Chang

“Please believe in THE POWER OF ONE. One person can make an enormous difference in the world. One person - actually, one idea - can start a war, or end one, or subvert an entire power structure. One discovery can cure a disease or spawn new technology to benefit or annihilate the human race. You as ONE individual can change millions of lives. Think big. Do not limit your vision and do not ever compromise your dreams or ideals.”

“There isn't much discussion of ruling class in America even in Boston, probably one of the most class-conscious cities in the country?”

Country America Cities Class Conscious Discussion Ruling Boston

Author:Iris Chang

“Your first duty as a writer is to write to please yourself. And you have no duty towards anyone else.”

Writing Firsts Duty Please Please Yourself

Author:Iris Chang

“I don't mind solitude. I love talking to other people, but I do need my space.”

People Needs Mind Space Talking Solitude I Want You I Need You My Space

Author:Iris Chang

“I have to finish this book tour of almost 30 cities.”

Book Cities Journey

Author:Iris Chang

“Whatever is not commonly seen is condemned as alien.”

Author:Iris Chang

“Somebody who was born in this country who visited China would later face difficulty getting back in to the USA. We have to keep in mind that the struggles of the Chinese against these exclusion laws really laid down the foundations of civil rights law.”

Mind Country America Faces Law Born Struggle Rights Difficulty Foundation China Civil Rights Chinese Usa Exclusion

Author:Iris Chang

“There isn't much in the way of pure communist spirit, because the whole nation seems to be engaged in capitalistic enterprises. Much of the country still operates under government control.”

Way Stills Country Whole Seems Government Spirit Nations Pure Engaged Enterprise Communist Engagement

Author:Iris Chang

“The worst... was what the Pakistani soldiers did to the Bengali women after their failed rebellion.”

Worst Soldier Rebellion Uprising Bengali

Author:Iris Chang

“The whole story of the comfort women, the system of forced sexual slavery, the medical experiments of Unit 731, is not something that is in the US psyche. That is changing because many books are coming out.”

Book Whole Stories Comfort Slavery Medical Experiments Coming Out Units

Author:Iris Chang

“When the Chinese first came to San Francisco, they were actually welcomed by the mayor and they had special ceremonies for them-again this is when their colony was very small, only a few Chinese.”

Firsts Special Chinese Ceremony San Francisco Mayors Colony

Author:Iris Chang

“Often, what you see in the media is driven by economic forces.”

Force Economic Media Driven

Author:Iris Chang

About the Author

Born: March 28, 1968
Died: November 9, 2004
Known for: Historian
Quotes: 28

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