3 Quotes & Sayings By Le Ly Hayslip

Le Ly Hayslip is a writer, editor, and activist. Her award-winning work has appeared in many publications, including the "Los Angeles Times," "Salon," "Red Emma's Book of the Dead," "Ms. Magazine," "Signs of Life," "Crisis Magazine," and the anthology, Women's Coming of Age. Read more

Le Ly is the author of the memoir, Women Hold Up Half the Sky: My Journey from War to Women's Rights to Peace (Spiegel & Grau, 2005), and her forthcoming book will be called The Unbearable Lightness of Being American (Spiegel & Grau). She is the co-producer of the documentary film about women's rights in Vietnam, The Word at War.

1
In the West, for example, people believe they must 'pursue happiness' as if it were some kind of a flighty bird that is always out of reach. In the East, we believe we are born with happiness and one of life's important takes, my mother told me, is to protect it. Le Ly Hayslip
2
For you see, the face of destiny or luck or god that gives us war also gives us other kinds of pain: the loss of health and youth; the loss of loved ones or of love; the fear that we will end our days alone. Some people suffer in peace the way others suffer in war. The special gift of that suffering, I have learned, is how to be strong while we are weak, how to be brave when we are afraid, how to be wise in the midst of confusion, and how to let go of that which we can no longer hold. In this way, anger can teach us forgiveness, hate can teach us love, and war can teach us peace. . Le Ly Hayslip