Mo Yan Quotes & Sayings

“A writer should bury his thoughts deep and convey them through the characters in his novel.”

“Loneliness and hunger were my fortunes of creation.”

“Possibly because I've lived so much of my life in difficult circumstances, I think I have a more profound understanding of life.”

“For a country boy, poor as I was, whose constant worry was to be able to have enough to eat, the Army guaranteed one's survival.”

“I think writers write for their consciences, they write for their own true audiences, for their souls.”

“A writer should express criticism and indignation at the dark side of society and the ugliness of human nature, but we should not use one uniform expression.”

“I have always been independent.”

“One of the biggest problems in literature is the lack of subtlety.”

“When someone forces me to do something I don't do it.”

“I heard so many stories from Gaomi's peasants that I had an irrepressible urge to write them down. Today, Gaomi's peasants know that they have become famous around the world through my writings, but I think they are a little puzzled by this.”