Crazy Rich Asians Quotes

Doing nothing can sometimes be the most effective form of action.

Remember, every treasure comes with a price.

Just because some people actually work for their money doesn’t mean they are beneath you.

Eleanor had a long-held theory about men. She truly believed that for most men, all that talk of “being in love” or “finding the right one” was absolute nonsense. Marriage was purely a matter of timing, and whenever a man was finally done sowing his wild oats and ready to settle down, whichever girl happened to be there at the time would be the right one.

Perfection comes at a sacrifice,

Aiyoooooh, finish everything on your plate, girls! Don’t you know there are children starving in America?

People are messy. Life gets messy. Things are not always going to work out perfectly just because you want them to.

Pinch me, please. Is any of this real?" Rachel whispered as she looked into Nick's eyes. "This place is very real. You're the dream," Nick answered as he kissed her deeply.

Doing nothing can sometimes be the most effective form of action. If you do nothing, you'll be sending a clear message: that you're stronger than they think you are. Not to mention a lot classier. Think about it.

God is in the details.

I know the average outfit in your wardrobe costs more than a semester of tuition at Princeton, but it makes you look like a community college during summertime: NO CLASS.

I hate to point out the obvious, but here's this tiny bird that's been trying to get through a huge bulletproof glass wall. A totally impossible situation. You tell me it's been here every day pecking away persistently for ten minutes. Well, today the glass wall came down.

we were buying things we actually loved, not things to show off,

What do you mean, 'boundaries?' You came out of my vagina. What kind of boundaries do we have?

Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves.

The quality of the stone isn’t perfect, but when I wore it, it always reminded me of how life can surprise you. Sometimes, the thing that at first appears flawed can end up being the most perfect thing in the world for you.

Scientists talk about how we inherit health issues from our parents through our genes, but we also inherit this entire lineage of fear and pain—generations of it.

about a man whose greatness had nothing to do with wealth or power.

Twenty Ways You Can Tell You Have Asian Parents.” Number one on the list: Your parents never, ever call you “just to say hello.

You love your children so much, you do everything to try to protect them, and they don’t even appreciate it.

I don’t understand. How can a credit card ever be rejected? It’s not like it’s a kidney!” Colette laughed.

Everyone claims to be a billionaire these days. But you’re not really a billionaire until you spend your billions. —OVERHEARD AT THE HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB

The larger the diamonds, the older the wife, the more the mistress.

Beauty fades, but wit will keep you on the invitation lists to all the most exclusive parties.

Behind every fortune lies a great crime. —HONORÉ DE BALZAC

My family and I have always supported Asian and Asian Americans, especially our fellow authors and artists. I just found out my Crazy Rich Asian cousin bought out some theaters to support the Crazy Rich Asians film. Talk about crazy! - The Asian American Experience Anthology by Kailin Gow

She wasn’t a rebel, because to call her one would imply that she was breaking the rules

No matter how old you are, no matter how ready you think you are, nothing quite prepares you for the loss of a parent.

Behind every fortune lies a great crime.

Nick shook his head. “It amazes me that there’s still such a huge stigma about mental illness here.” “ ‘Stigma’ implies that something exists but society is prejudiced against it. Here, everyone’s in denial that it even exists!

Wye Mun, as usual, had steered him toward the stories about money, and he had missed the chance to tell them the real story, about a man whose greatness had nothing to do with wealth or power.

What is this, Harry Potter?” Nick sniggered. “That’s what you just sounded like. Yes, I am aware that even now dark forces are trying to sabotage me,

Perfection comes at a sacrifice,” “Remember, every treasure comes with a price.” “Just because some people actually work for their money doesn’t mean they are beneath you.

...Growing up as a racial minority in America, you feel that the ultimate act of assimilation is to marry into the dominant race. Which is why you only ever date WASPs … or Eurotrash.

Paris is great because every street you walk down is like an unfolding novel.

Michael, don’t you know by now that my grandmother and Uncle Alfred are the largest private shareholders of Singapore Press Holdings? We’re not going to be in the papers. We’re never going to be in the papers.

I tell you, this is what’s wrong with the world. People lying about everything.

I don’t understand. How can a credit card ever be rejected? It’s not like it’s a kidney!

now you have the body shape considered ideal to the women you seek to cultivate—delicately emaciated, with just a hint of a well-managed eating disorder.

He would never give up trying. He would take an impossible situation and make everything possible.

I made my money the old-fashioned way. I was very nice to a wealthy relative right before he died. —MALCOLM FORBES

You’re my son—I’ve watched your nannies change your diapers,

Marriage was purely a matter of timing, and whenever a man was finally done sowing his wild oats and ready to settle down, whichever girl happened to be there at the time would be the right one.

That’s what I want for my kids. I want them to love their family, but to feel a deeper sense of pride in who they are as individuals, Nick, not in how much money they have, what their last name is, or how many generations they go back to whatever dynasty. I’m sorry, but I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of being around all these crazy rich Asians, all these people whose lives revolve around making money, spending money, flaunting money, comparing money, hiding money, controlling others with money, and ruining their lives over money.

You’re an economist—don’t you know what HENRY stands for?” I racked my brains, but I still didn’t have a clue. Perrineum finally spat it out: “High Earners, Not Rich Yet.

I'm not going to be wearing a single piece of jewelry tonight. I was born a Tung, and I have nothing to prove to anyone.

miracles on your face,” Jacqueline shot back in dead seriousness.

I’ve had enough of being around all these crazy rich Asians,

I take fifty milligrams of amitriptyline every night, and then an extra ten milligrams of Ambien if I really want to sleep through the night. Sometimes I add a Lunesta, and if that doesn’t work, I get out the Valium—

Meggaharto, you know. I don’t think you need me

This little girl needs to be raised properly—by a team of sensible Cantonese nannies, not interfering parents!

St. Germain elderflower liqueur, gin, and white Lillet mixed with grapefruit juice create this classic effervescent aperitif. Chin-chin!

Everything ends up seeming irrelevant in the face of loss,

To Eleanor, every single person occupied a specific space in the elaborately constructed social universe in her mind.

The only acceptable majors were medicine or law (unless you were truly dumb, in which case you settled for accounting).

It’s like all my patients these days—I never know whether the kid in my dental chair is homeless or owns Google,” Ray said gruffly.

There is nothing in the world that good food cannot fix.

If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.

I'm telling you, this so-called 'prosperity' is going to be the downfall of Asia. Each new generation becomes lazier than the next. They think they can make overnight fortunes just by flipping properties and getting hot tips in the stock market. Ha! Nothing lasts forever, and when this boom ends, these youngsters won't know what hit them

I’ve realized that so many of my fears aren’t really my own. They’re the fears of my mother, my father, my grandparents. I’ve just unconsciously internalized them, and I’ve let these fears affect every decision I make.

It only takes a spark,     to get the fire going.     And soon all those around,     can warm up in its glowing.     That’s how it is with God’s love,     once you’ve experienced it.     You want to sing,     it’s fresh like spring,     you want to Pass It On. “Can I make a suggestion, Astrid?” Charlie said as the junk made its way back to Repulse

whirling into overdrive. Daisy suddenly jumped up from her

The Holy Trinity are Four Seasons for the roast duck, Mandarin Kitchen for the aforementioned lobster noodles, and Royal China for the dim sum.

Tourists should have to take a style exam before being allowed to set foot on the island!

I criticize you when you’re wearing something that looks so cheap. It’s a disgrace to me.

you’ll need ten new outfits per season, so you won’t be ashamed to be seen in public.

I’ve always tried to keep clear boundaries between my personal life and my family life,

In large families the whole affair would often involve complicated Excel flow charts,

Alamak, it's that Ed Saranwrap! I love his music!” As Ed Sheeran

Yes, Leo Ming, charter member of Hong Kong’s Lucky Sperm Club,

Astrid, it’s me. You don’t have to keep your emotions in check around me. You’ve thrown vases and goldfish bowls at me, remember?

Peel away the veneer of wealth and sophistication and you’ll find extremely provincial, narrow-minded people. The problem is that they all have too much money, and it’s come so easily to them that they think they’re bloody geniuses and so they are always right.

Look, I'm not here to lecture you about Eurocentricity or media bias; I just want to put forth the idea that maybe China has been the punching bag of the West for a very, very long time, and that nothing is gained from the continued demonization of its people... of my people. If you can accept that a single country can give birth to both a Donald Trump and a Donald Glover, a Steve Carell and a Stone Cold Steve Austin, you shouldn't have any difficulty accepting that the 1.3 billion people who call China home are just as varied in their ideologies and philosophies. There are the party officials, the pure-of-heart idealists, the Crazy Rich Asians, the activists, the social media influencers (smash that subscribe button!), the internet trolls and every conceivable thing in between–but perhaps most of all, there are the families like my parents, who simply did their best to stay out of trouble and survive from one day to the next.

The takeaway from the crowd-pleasing opening scene in the novel and film Crazy Rich Asians is the following: if you discriminate against us, we’ll make more money than you and buy your fancy hotel that wouldn’t let us in. Capitalism as retribution for racism. But isn’t that how whiteness recruits us? Whether it’s through retribution or indebtedness, who are we when we become better than them in a system that destroyed us?

There are the Chinese from Mainland China, who made their fortunes in the past decade like all the Russians, but then there are the Overseas Chinese. These are the ones who left China long before the Communists came in, in many cases hundreds of years ago, and spread throughout the rest of Asia, quietly amassing great fortunes over time.

Doing nothing can sometimes be the most effective form of action,' Sophie remarked. 'If you do nothing, you'll be sending a clear message: that you're stronger than they think you are. Not to mention a lot classier. Think about it.

My parents have always been racist and elitist to the extreme, like so many in their crowd. Peel away the veneer of wealth and sophistication and you’ll find extremely provincial, narrow-minded people. The problem is that they all have too much money, and it’s come so easily to them that they think they’re bloody geniuses and so they are always right.

I hope you told her that the most romantic thing that happened was watching Alistair projectile vomit out the car window after stuffing down too many In-N-Out burgers.

After all this time, with all the medical advances we’ve made, the human body is still an unfathomable mystery to us. The heart most of all.

it always reminded me of how life can surprise you. Sometimes, the thing that at first appears flawed can end up being the most perfect thing in the world for you.

Just you, me, and our chosen family. No one else matters.

Shanghai and Beijing society would come to accept her, especially if she carries a different handbag.

the older she gets, the more she seems to be turning into an obsessive tightwad.

He wanted to pass it on.

these people are richer than God.

Why did everything have to be so fraught with significance?

You can’t seriously think you can wear black shoes with khaki trousers,

Dear Lord, thank you for getting me the fuck out of here. Amen

I always knew sending him to England would be a mistake. Why do we Chinese never learn? Every time we get mixed up with the West, everything falls apart.

I promise I will never stop sending you letters of love, Astrid. Until my dying day.

Scientists talk about how we inherit health issues from our parents through our genes, but we also inherit this entire lineage of fear and pain—generations of it. I can acknowledge whenever my mother is reacting out of this fear, but the most powerful thing I've realized is that I'm not responsible for her pain. I won't make her fears mine any longer and I don't want to pass them on to my son!

*1 Literally translated as “meat bone tea,” this is not the name of a summer event on Fire Island but rather a popular Singaporean soup that consists of melt-in-your-mouth pork ribs simmered for many hours in an intoxicatingly complex broth of herbs and spices.

We’re everywhere now. We have taken over Orange County. Some of us are even rich housewives in Orange County. The takeaway from the crowd-pleasing opening scene in the novel and film Crazy Rich Asians is the following: if you discriminate against us, we’ll make more money than you and buy your fancy hotel that wouldn’t let us in. Capitalism as retribution for racism. But isn’t that how whiteness recruits us? Whether it’s through retribution or indebtedness, who are we when we become better than them in a system that destroyed us?

Kan ni na bu chao chee bye!

Salted dried plums, fervently sucked on by generations of Chinese like martini olives. Supposedly great for combating nausea

She truly believed that for most men, all that talk of “being in love” or “finding the right one” was absolute nonsense. Marriage was purely a matter of timing, and whenever a man was finally done sowing his wild oats and ready to settle down, whichever girl happened to be there at the time would be the right one.

Siem began to play the first familiar chords of "Theme from Out of Africa," and sighs of delight could be heard from the audience, Oliver noted, "It's all about that chin, isn't it, clenched against the violin as if he's makine savage love to it. That marvelous chin is what's making all the ladies cream their knickers.

Hainanese chicken rice, which could arguably be considered the national dish of Singapore. (And yes, Eleanor is ready for foodie bloggers to start attacking her restaurant choice. She chose Wee Nam Kee specifically because the United Square location is only five minutes from the Bao condo, and parking there is $2.00 after 6:00 p.m. If she took him to Chatterbox, which she personally prefers, parking at Mandarin Hotel would have been a nightmare and she would have had to valet her Jaguar for $15. Which she would RATHER DIE than do.)

By sheer dumb luck, my father was born in the right place at the right moment in time - when the whole region was going through enormous, unprecedented growth. And oh yeah, he also inherited an empire that had already been set up four generations before him. I think he looks down on people like your father - people who are self-made - because at the heart of it he is a deeply insecure individual. He knows he did absolutely nothing to deserve his fortune, and so the only thing he can do is disparage others who have the audacity to make their own money. His friends are all the same - they are frightened of the new money that's rolling in, and that's why they cluster in their little enclaves.

Snobs by Julian Fellowes The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee People Like Us by Dominick Dunne The Power of Style by Annette Tapert and Diana Edkins (this is out of print; I will lend you my copy) Pride and Avarice by Nicholas Coleridge The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave Freedom by Jonathan Franzen D. V. by Diana Vreeland A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur by Gayatri Devi Jane Austen—complete works beginning with Pride and Prejudice Edith Wharton—The Custom of the Country, The Age of Innocence, The Buccaneers, The House of Mirth (must be read in strict order—you will understand why when you finish the last one) Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh Anthony Trollope—all the books in the Palliser series, beginning with Can You Forgive Her?