Kevin Kwan Quotes

Singaporean - Novelist

One of the dreams on my wish list is to spend more time in Thailand. Kevin Kwan

Dreams, Time, Wish, Thailand, More, List

No matter our background, we all have crazy families. Kevin Kwan

Crazy, Matter, Background, Our, Families

In Asia, it's customary to get together with your entire extended family on a regular basis, and it's all rife with politics. Kevin Kwan

Family, Politics, Together, Get Together

Asian literature is evolving with the people. It's always a reflection on what's happening to the culture at large. Kevin Kwan

Culture, Reflection, People, Literature

The China Rich seem to be spending on a scale that's just beyond anything we've ever seen before. They are building and buying an insane amount of luxury residences around the world, commissioning huge flying palaces from Boeing, and paying ridiculous amounts for art. Kevin Kwan

Art, Flying, Rich, World, Building

I spent the first 12 years of my life growing up in Singapore. Back then, in the early '80s, it was still a tropical island at the tip of the Malay Peninsula striving to shine on the world stage. Kevin Kwan

Life, Shine, Growing Up, World, My Life

'China rich' is the new 'crazy rich.' It's a new level of outrageousness. It comes from this world where overnight fortunes have been made, but the fortunes are so ginormous compared to anything we've ever seen in the history of the world. Kevin Kwan

History, Crazy, Rich, World, New, China

I sort of wanted to reveal this other side of Asia: Southeast Asia, where the Chinese have been wealthy for generations and have different ways of relating to money. I wanted to sort of reveal this world to readers. Kevin Kwan

Money, World, Different, Reveal, Side

There's always been this tradition of satirizing these rich groups of people. Kevin Kwan

People, Tradition, Rich, Always, Been

If I were to generalize a bit, I would say that the ultra rich in Asia live on a scale that far surpasses the wealthy in the U.S. or Europe. Kevin Kwan

Live, Rich, Say, Europe, Far, Asia

Even if they're not Asian or super rich... everyone has a nagging mother. Everyone has that obnoxious uncle, or that cousin who's a bit too snobby. Kevin Kwan

Mother, Rich, Uncle, Everyone, Asian

It used to be, on TV, you'd see only two types of Asians. You'd see the science geek who's using his mobile phone or something like that, or you'd see a very token Asian family - yuppie mother and father and two little Asian kids. It's the last barrier for Hollywood. Kevin Kwan

Family, Mother, Father, Science, Phone

All Americans knew was 'The Joy Luck Club' and children of dry cleaners trying to assimilate. The Asia that I was seeing was a world of people who are incredibly sophisticated, and I wanted to represent that side. Kevin Kwan

Children, Luck, Joy, People, World, Club

My grandmother used to get her shoes made in Paris in the '30s, and they would be shipped to her in Singapore. Kevin Kwan

Shoes, Paris, Grandmother, Singapore

Old money in Southeast Asia is much more discrete and low key. It's about not wearing brand names. It's about being invisible, almost. The billionaire can be taking the bus with you. Kevin Kwan

Money, Brand, You, Key, Bus, Invisible

I wanted to introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience. Kevin Kwan

American, Audience, Introduce, Asia

Certainly, living in the U.S., as I have for over two decades, you see how Asians are portrayed in the media... I didn't see myself represented, you know, when I used to look at ads on TV. Kevin Kwan

Myself, Media, Look, You, Know, Living

It's not normal to go into a house and see a pond in the middle of the living room full of baby sharks. It's not normal to go to someone's garage and see a private plane. Kevin Kwan

Baby, Living, Someone, Sharks, House, Go

My mother likes to say that I was conceived to shop - not just born to shop. My whole life as a child was following her and her sister and friends around on her shopping trips. Kevin Kwan

Life, Mother, Child, Sister, Shopping

I go to Shenzhen, China, and am taken to a vast luxury spa with a hundred leather recliners and a hundred accompanying plasma screen televisions bolted to the ceiling. Kevin Kwan

Luxury, Leather, Go, China, Ceiling, Am

The most important thing to keep in mind is the incredible diversity of talent that's out there - there are so many great actors from all over Asia, from Singapore and Hong Kong to the Philippines and Mainland China, not to mention many great Asian-American actors who are eager for fun and challenging roles. Kevin Kwan

Great, Diversity, Mind, Talent, Fun

My grandparents were far more English in their manners than they were Chinese. For example, we spoke English at home, had afternoon tea every day, and my grandfather, who attended university in Scotland, would smoke his pipe after dinner. Kevin Kwan

Home, Day, Tea, Dinner, Smoke, Every Day

Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money. Kevin Kwan

Money, Canada, Become, Chinese, Staging

I was born in Singapore, and I lived there until I was 12. I had a very fortunate upbringing. Kevin Kwan

Born, Singapore, Lived, I Was Born, Had

I'm not revealing any deep, hidden secret that there are wealthy people in Asia. Kevin Kwan

Deep, People, Hidden, Secret, Asia, Any

I do believe that peoples' natures can be changed, and they have to be changed if we want to live in this modern world and be a part of it. Kevin Kwan

Live, World, Believe, Want, Modern, Part

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