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Quote by Maxine Hong Kingston

Work

The Fifth Book of Peace

This novel delves into the complexities of achieving and maintaining peace within a fictional society, offering a nuanced examination of the human condition and the challenges of coexistence. more

Author

Maxine Hong Kingston
Maxine Hong Kingston

Maxine Hong Kingston is an influential American author known for her pioneering work in the genre of creative non-fiction. Born on October 27, 1940, she has made significant contributions to American literature with her distinctive narrative style and exploration of cultural identity. Her most notable works include 'The Woman Warrior' and 'China Men', which have been pivotal in shaping the narrative of Asian American identity. more

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“Watch them clamber, these swift monkeys! They clamber over one another and thus drag one another into the mud and the depth. They all want to get to the throne: that is their madness — as if happiness sat on the throne. Often, mud sits on the throne — and often the throne also on mud. Mad they all appear to me, clambering monkeys and overardent. Foul smells their idol, the cold monster: foul, they smell to me altogether, these idolators.”

“Of all ridiculous things the most ridiculous seems to me, to be busy — to be a man who is brisk about his food and his work. Therefore, whenever I see a fly settling, in the decisive moment, on the nose of such a person of affairs; or if he is spattered with mud from a carriage which drives past him in still greater haste; or the drawbridge opens up before him; or a tile falls down and knocks him dead, then I laugh heartily.”