Yen Quotes & Sayings

Don't focus so much on who is following you, that you forget to lead. — E'yen A. Gardner

In Hong Kong, particularly, we craft this art for decades. The action choreographer actually is the action director. He takes over and he choreographs with - by himself or with his team, and place the camera where he feels cinematic effect to bring out that choreography. — Donnie Yen

Dreams are the wanderings of the spirit though all nine heavens and all nine earths. — Lu Yen-hsun

We work with the people not out of pity but out of respect for their potential for growth and development, both as individuals and as communities. — Y. C. James Yen

When we have a new heart, we become new people, and then we have a new society, then we have a new nation. — Y. C. James Yen

The secret of the magic of life consists in using action in order to attain non-action. One must not wish to leap over everything and penetrate directly. — Lu Yen-hsun

Keep in mind that whenever you are in a crisis, you are in the midst of danger as well as oportunity. — Adeline Yen Mah

The truth is I love you but you reject my love. You would rather be right than loved. — E'yen A. Gardner

You are not meant to serve time. Time is meant to serve you. Become the master of your now — E'yen A. Gardner

All the time I was writing hit songs with my partner David Porter, I always had the yen to perform. Sure did. And when the opportunity came, I took it. The first album, 'Presenting Isaac Hayes,' didn't do so hot, but it was like a prelude for what was to come. — Isaac Hayes

Come out of hiding, don't be afraid to be yourself. — E'yen A. Gardner

The future belongs to you. Should anyone insult you, tell yourself this: I am a child of destiny who will unite East and West and change the world. — Adeline Yen Mah

the yen upturn coincided exactly with the start of a topping process in global stocks. By first quarter 2008, the yen had risen to the highest level in three years against the U.S. dollar as global stocks tumbled. — John J. Murphy

Doing a movie is a stressful thing. You spend months of you life focusing into that one project, and I want to make sure I do something I really like or I'm really passionate about. — Donnie Yen

The whole World was for sale to anyone who had Yen or was willing to perform fellatio. — Kurt Vonnegut

Virtuous man, contrived conceptualizations come from the existence of a mind, which is a conditioned [conglomeration of] the six sense objects. The conditioned impressions of deluded thoughts are not the true essence of mind; rather, they are like flowers in the sky. The discernment of the realm of Buddhahood with such conceptualization is comparable to the production of empty fruit by the empty flower. One merely revolves in this entanglement of deluded thoughts and gains no result. — Sheng Yen

Do not ignore inspiration, it is your guide to self discovery. — E'yen A. Gardner

As an action director, I always try to bring something fresh and new. — Donnie Yen

To love what you do. You must do what you love. — E'yen A. Gardner

Those who do not have faith in others will not be able to stand on their own. — Sheng Yen

One thing I have discovered is that people don't want to be followers, they want to be friends. — E'yen A. Gardner

All are at war with the one who wars against self. — E'yen A. Gardner

Go to the people
Live among them
Learn from them
Love them
Serve them
Plan with them
Start with what they know
Build on what they have. — Y. C. James Yen

I always used to wonder why American actors were getting fat, then I made a U.S. movie. I'm seeing all the food every day, and there's lots of waiting around because making an American movie is very slow. — Donnie Yen

In Hollywood, I'm lucky, I only do big movies like 'Blade.' It's much more comfortable: you have a trailer. — Donnie Yen

I love working with older actors because number one, I can learn so much from them because they have so much experience. And it's fun to hear their stories from their era, some of the jokes. — Donnie Yen

Some writers later, describing the events of that night and day, wrote that Wan'yen of the Altai had seen a spirit-dragon of the river and become afraid. Writers do that sort of thing. They like dragons in their tales. — Guy Gavriel Kay

I was deprived of the ability to feel so I wouldn't be able to feel how dreadfully vile is that vileness, so I wouldn't retreat from it, wouldn't run horror-stricken from it. Yes, I was stripped of feelings, But not utterly. Whoever did it made a botch of it, Yen. — Andrzej Sapkowski

I liked the way the Jewish religion seemed, on the whole, to have devoted so much energy and art to finding loopholes in its crazy laws; I like what this seemed to me to imply about its attitude toward God, that dictatorial and arbitrary old fuck with his curses and his fiats and his yen for the smell of burnt shoulder meat. — Michael Chabon

I think film, to me, as a director, is about telling a story. — Donnie Yen

There is a blissful period of existence which the Yen Buddhists* call plinki. It is defined quite precisely as that interval between waking up and being hit on the back of the head by all the problems that kept you awake the night before; it ends when you realize that this was the morning everything was going to look better in, and it doesn't. — Terry Pratchett

Say something.' 'I wouldn't like to lose you, Yen.' 'But you have me.' 'The night will end.' 'Everything ends.' No — Andrzej Sapkowski

Remember, the best cure for worry is to do something positive. That's because fear is endless and formless, whereas even the worst outcome has an ending. — Adeline Yen Mah

Action choreographer is like talking. When you talk, you have a rhythm. When you act, you have a rhythm. When you're moving your body, you have a rhythm. So as an actor, as a choreographer, the objective is trying to blend everything in - into - ultimately back into that character. — Donnie Yen

The Yen Buddhists are the richest religious sect in the universe. They hold that the accumulation of money is a great evil and a burden to the soul. They therefore, regardless of personal hazard, see it as their unpleasant duty to acquire as much as possible in order to reduce the risk to innocent people. — Terry Pratchett

Understanding your importance does not minimize those around you, it brings fulfillment to everyone. — E'yen A. Gardner

Heaven is not the wide blue sky but the place where corporeality is begotten in the house of the Creative. — Lu Yen-hsun

Technical know-how of the experts must be transformed into practical do-how of the people. — Y. C. James Yen

Quickly pretended disappointment. We hailed a taxi and squeezed in with all our luggage. Aunt Reine — Adeline Yen Mah

I think that those of us who are what are called intellectuals make a terrible mistake in overvaluing the yen we have for the arts, books, etc. There is a sweet, fine quality in life that has nothing to do with this, and more and more I find myself valuing myself with those people. — Sherwood Anderson

Come and discover a love you don't have to work for. — E'yen A. Gardner

Relief has its place. But what the people need is not relief, but release - release of their own potential for development. — Y. C. James Yen

I am a confused Musician who got sidetracked into this goddamn Word business for so long that I never got back to music - except maybe when I find myself oddly alone in a quiet room with only a typewriter to strum on and a yen to write a song. Who knows why? Maybe I just feel like singing - so I type.
These quick electric keys are my Instrument, my harp, my RCA glass-tube microphone, and my fine soprano saxophone all at once. That is my music, for good or ill, and on some nights it will make me feel like a god. Veni, Vidi, Vici ... That is when the fun starts ... — Hunter S. Thompson

Patience is produced in the midst of storms; it blossoms under the intense pressures of the storms. — E'yen A. Gardner

From my experience as an actor, choreographer, action director, and producer, I understand the elements and the dynamics of being a film maker. — Donnie Yen

Love is taking care of oneself by freeing one's mind of worries and conducting one self with propriety. — Master Cheng Yen

I wrote a novel because I had a yen to do it. I believe this is sufficient reason to set out to tell a story. — Umberto Eco

Life is too precious to worry about what could or will happen. Life is..what you make it — E'yen A. Gardner

When audiences look at an action actor like myself, sometimes we are very easily stereotyped or characterized as one type. They forget that we are actors, too. — Donnie Yen

Do not ask for less responsibility to be free and relaxed-ask for more strength! — Sheng Yen

Everyday, we have to ask God for our assignment, we must not assume we understand His plan but rather surrender to His will daily. — E'yen A. Gardner

A worker in the rural reconstruction must have: The body of an athlete The attitude of a teacher The mind of a scientist The heart of a missionary The spirit of a crusader. — Y. C. James Yen

Anger keeps us down and hinders from moving forward. — E'yen A. Gardner

Understated jewellery is not for me. It's too itsy-bitsy. My husband is lucky, as I've never had a yen for real jewels. — Iris Apfel

For years, I looked to Bruce Lee as a mentor as being a Chinese and Asian man living in this country. — Donnie Yen

Though life has to be lived forward, it can only be understood backwards — Adeline Yen Mah

A lot of people don't realize, when you are acting in a martial arts film, you're not just performing martial arts. You're not just performing martial arts. You're actually acting as much as any other actor. — Donnie Yen

When we know Love, fear has no value in our presence. There is no pressure to perform and mask our humanity. We can BE and when we BE. We can inspire others to BE. — E'yen A. Gardner

I always tell younger filmmakers, it's not just about the acting or the art itself. It's about how big of an audience watches your film. — Donnie Yen

In China the largest denomination bill they have is 100 yen, and that's maybe $7. So here you have a whole economy working with only a $7 note as the largest denomination. The euro wants to get rid of the 500-euro bill just as the United States years ago got rid of the $1,000 bill because only the criminals used $1,000 bills. — Michael Hudson

Bruce is the man. He was definitely ahead of his time. — Donnie Yen

A lot of Chinese martial arts films were based on Chinese martial arts novels. And these novels created a world of putting history, calligraphy, and martial arts into one. — Donnie Yen

Oneness with God is not a dream, it is the only reality. Everything else is an illusion. — E'yen A. Gardner

Gardeners may create order briefly out of chaos, but nature always gets the last word, and what it says is usually untidy by human standards. But I find all states of nature beautiful, and because I want to delight in my garden, not rule it, I just accept my yen to tame the chaos on one day and let the Japanese beetles run riot on the next. — Diane Ackerman

For me, shooting, editing, and scoring rely on rhythm. — Donnie Yen

I can't compete for likes and follows, I won't win. What I will do is pour out my heart and allow love to reach those that need it. — E'yen A. Gardner

I think action movies bring more excitement than tears, but I always want to take it to another level. I mean, I think if one appreciates anything in life to a certain degree, it could possibly bring tears to your eyes. — Donnie Yen

But you can vanquish the demons only when you yourself are convinced of your own worth. — Adeline Yen Mah

We must surrender ourselves to God, not our assignments. — E'yen A. Gardner

What I can do, I will do. What I can't do, I will surrender to the one that can. — E'yen A. Gardner

The value of their money was imaginary. Like the nature of the universe itself, the desirability of their American dollars and yen was all in people's heads. — Kurt Vonnegut

Time moves forward don't live backwards — E'yen A. Gardner

The main reason I like UFC is not just the martial arts aspect, but it's about one person against the other person. It's about being able to test yourself with the truth. — Donnie Yen

There are two types of Chinese growing up in America. One is the kind that does really well in school, with thick, thick glasses. And the other is involved with the gangs. — Donnie Yen

Be grateful always for everything and everyone at every moment. — Master Cheng Yen

When we praise God in the midst of our "darkness," God is moved by our faith. — E'yen A. Gardner

The prose poem Walk The Red Road is great stuff and deserves to be read aloud. It compares quite favorably to The Walls Of Emerald by Li Chiang Yen, a Chinese poet of the late Tang period. — Brian Aldiss

That day the U.S. announced that the dollar would be devalued by 10 percent. By switching the yen to a floating exchange rate, the Japanese currency appreciated, and a sufficient realignment in exchange rates was realized. Joint intervention in gold sales to prevent a steep rise in the price of gold, however, was not undertaken. That was a mistake. — Paul Volcker

So I got to thinking that perhaps that's what money is: a crystallization - or, rather, a homogenization - of time and free will into those things we call dollars and pounds and yen and euros. Money multiplies your time. It also expands your agency and broadens the number of things you can do accordingly. Big-time lottery winners haven't won ten million dollars - they've won ten thousand person-years of time to do pretty much anything they want anywhere on Earth. Windfalls are like the crystal meth version of time and free will. — Douglas Coupland

Being still does not mean don't move. It means move in peace. — E'yen A. Gardner

I did a couple comedies to balance myself as an actor and balance how audiences see Donnie Yen as an actor, and I would even say as a celebrity or icon, to some fans. I want to show that I'm not Terminator. — Donnie Yen

Know that love is yours, you will not go bankrupt by sharing it. — E'yen A. Gardner

True independence is not a gift to be received. It can't be a hand-out to people. It must be an achievement by the people. — Y. C. James Yen

Be soft in your practice. Think of the method as a fine silvery stream, not a raging waterfall. Follow the stream, have faith in its course. It will go on its own way, meandering here, trickling there. It will find the grooves, the cracks, the crevices. Just follow it. Never let it out of your sight. It will take you. — Sheng Yen

I certainly hope 'Dragon' can leave some legacy behind. — Donnie Yen

When you direct a movie, you're basically looking at a story, the way you want to look at it. You bring that director's vision, and I'm totally open for that. — Donnie Yen

However, if we don't confront the seed of lies, it gives place for them to take root in us and we become bound to the "prison cell" that those lies create. — E'yen A. Gardner

Commitment cannot be taught;
it can only be caught.
I refer to the crusading spirit.
Without the crusading spirit,
you may have the starting power
but not the staying power. — Y. C. James Yen

Suen Le! (it means, "Let it be. — Adeline Yen Mah

I follow four dictates: face it, accept it, deal with it, then let it go. — Sheng Yen

I just like to choose projects that will allow me as an artist to make my art. — Donnie Yen

When there is more gratitude, there is less distrust. — Cheng Yen

Love is who you are, don't resist it. — E'yen A. Gardner

Patience is learned through waiting — E'yen A. Gardner

There is no truth I hate, it is blinded by rage. — E'yen A. Gardner

I have always been a great fan of Peter Chan and many other great directors who specialize in anything outside of action. — Donnie Yen

When occupations come to us we must accept them; when things come to us we must understand them from the ground up. — Lu Yen-hsun

When I see God I see Beauty, I see Love, I see Joy, I see Peace and I see You. God loves us let us love one another. — E'yen A. Gardner

When you take the step towards your dreams you will be met with fears because you have never traveled this way before. As you go, you will discover that you had nothing to fear. Through overcoming your fears you give those that follow you hope that if they pursue their dreams, they will achieve their dreams. — E'yen A. Gardner

Advice from a Caterpillar
Chew your way into a new world.
Munch leaves. Molt. Rest. Molt
again. Self-reinvention is everything.
Spin many nests. Cultivate stinging
bristles. Don't get sentimental
about your discarded skins. Grow
quickly. Develop a yen for nettles.
Alternate crumpling and climbing. Rely
on your antennae. Sequester poisons
in your body for use at a later date.
When threatened, emit foul odors
in self-defense. Behave cryptically
to confuse predators: change colors, spit,
or feign death. If all else fails, taste terrible. — Amy Gerstler