Life is not simple, and people can't be boxed into being either heroes or villains.

- Jessica Hagedorn

Don't say Fili, sister. Say Pili. In Tagalog, pili means to choose. Pino means fine. Pilipino equals 'fine choice.

- Jessica Hagedorn

I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that a…

- Jessica Hagedorn

Becoming a mother has helped make me a tougher, stronger writer.

- Jessica Hagedorn

Adaptability is the simple secret of survival.

- Jessica Hagedorn

Hybridity keeps me from being rigid about most things. It has taught me to appreciate the contradictions in the world and in my life. I scavenge from…

- Jessica Hagedorn

Writers and scholars have emerged in recent times (some familiar, some new) to continue to challenge the notion of a literature that encompasses the …

- Jessica Hagedorn

Everything matters. Time is precious.

- Jessica Hagedorn

But I think there's a genuine joy, too, a sense that no matter what, even if my stomach's growling, I'm going to dance. That's what I want to leave p…

- Jessica Hagedorn