Weiwei-isms

• "Say what you need to say plainly, and then take responsibility for it."
• "A small act is worth a million thoughts."
• "Liberty is about our rights to question everything."

On Art and Activism

• "Everything is art. Everything is politics."
• "The art always wins. Anything can happen to me, but the art will stay."
• "Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it. I don't feel that much anger. I equally have a lot of joy."

On Government, Power, and Making Moral Choice

• "Once you've tasted freedom, it stays in your heart and no one can take it. Then, you can be more powerful than a whole country."
• "I feel powerless all the time, but I regain my energy by making a very small difference that won't cost me much."
• "Tips on surviving the regime: Respect yourself and speak for others. Do one small thing every day to prove the existence of justice."

On the Digital World

• "Only with the Internet can a peasant I have never met hear my voice and I can learn what's on his mind. A fairy tale has come true."
• "The Internet is uncontrollable. And if the Internet is uncontrollable, freedom will win. It's as simple as that."
• "The Internet is the best thing that could have happened to China."

On History, the Historical Moment, and the Future

• "If a nation cannot face its past, it has no future."
• "We need to get out of the old language."
• "The world is a sphere, there is no East or West."

Personal Reflection

• "I've never planned any part of my career—except being an artist. And I was pushed into that corner because I thought being an artist was the only way to have a little freedom."
• "Anyone fighting for freedom does not want to totally lose their freedom."
• "Expressing oneself is like a drug. I'm so addicted to it."