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Everything I've ever done that's valuable is something I was afraid to try.

Amy Chua

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Amy Chua
Age: 62
Born: 1962
Born: October 26
Economist
Lawyer
Professor
University Teacher
Writer
Champaign
Illinois
Amy L. Chua
Done
Trying
Something
Valuable
Afraid
Ever
Everything

More quotes by Amy Chua

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Never complain or make excuses. If something seems unfair, just prove yourself by working twice as hard and being twice as good.
Amy Chua
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Parenting cannot just be one size fits all.
Amy Chua
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Be modest, be humble, be simple.Make sure you come in first so that you have something to be humble about.
Amy Chua
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When I was little, my parents really only wanted me to be a scientist or a doctor they had never even heard of law school. I think even these days if you were to tell your mother you want to be a fashion designer, or an artist or a writer, a lot of Asian parents would be alarmed because they don't think that's a secure career.
Amy Chua
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To be honest, I know that a lot of Asian parents are secretly shocked and horrified by many aspects of Western parenting.
Amy Chua
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I think there are many ways to raise great kids. From what I can tell, Ayelet Waldman's kids are interesting, strong, and happy, and if that's the case, that's good parenting.
Amy Chua
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Most things are difficult at the beginning and they become fun, something you love, only after you've worked at them.
Amy Chua
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There's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.
Amy Chua
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The most successful hyperpowers are the ones where there was actual intermixing. Tang dynasty China was Chinas golden age, and contrary to what I was told when I was growing up, Tang China was founded by a man who by todays standards was no more than half Chinese. It was a mixed-blood dynasty that pulled in barbarians from the steppe.
Amy Chua
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I think the biggest difference is that I've noticed Western parents seem much more concerned about their children's psyches, their self-esteem, whereas tough immigrant parents assume strength rather than fragility in their children and therefore behave completely differently.
Amy Chua
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Instilling a sense of self-discipline and focus when the kids are younger makes it so much easier by the time they get into high school.
Amy Chua
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Westerners often laud their children as 'talented' or 'gifted', while Asian parents highlight the importance of hard work. And in fact, research performed by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has found that the way parents offer approval affects the way children perform, even the way they feel about themselves.
Amy Chua
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My youngest sister, Cindy, has Down syndrome, and I remember my mother spending hours and hours with her, teaching her to tie her shoelaces on her own, drilling multiplication tables with Cindy, practicing piano every day with her. No one expected Cindy to get a Ph.D.! But my mom wanted her to be the best she could be, within her limits.
Amy Chua
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I sort of feel like people are not that honest about their own parenting. Take any teenage household tell me there is not yelling and conflict.
Amy Chua
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Be modest, be humble, be simple.
Amy Chua
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I see my upbringing as a great success story. By disciplining me, my parents inculcated self-discipline. And by restricting my choices as a child, they gave me so many choices in my life as an adult. Because of what they did then, I get to do the work I love now.
Amy Chua
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All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that.
Amy Chua
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The Chinese model calls for giving your kids very little choice - and I've come to see that you can go too far with that. On the other hand, I also believe that Western parents sometimes give their young kids too much choice.
Amy Chua
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The truth is I'm not good at enjoying life.
Amy Chua
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For my senior prom, my father finally said I could go - as long as I was home by 9pm! That was around the time that most people were heading out. When I was little I was so mad at them all the time. Why can't I do this? Why are there so many rules? But looking back now, my parents gave me the foundation to have so many choices in life.
Amy Chua