Michelle Yeoh quotes:

My career in the movie business began in Hong Kong, my heart has always been tied to Asia, and it is immensely gratifying to see international recognition for Asian cinema as a whole.

I have been presented with roles with demand not just a physical ability but mental disciplines as well. 'Memoirs of a Geisha' was not so much about physical exertion... it was much more graceful and contained than that.

If you read a lot of Chinese literature, there has always been very strong women figures - warriors, swordswomen - who defended honor and loyalty with the men. So, it's not new to our culture - it's always been very much a part of it. It's good that now the Western audience would have a different image of the Chinese women.

As an actor, you hope to find roles that are challenging to you as an artist. Then if you are truly blessed, you will find that it also carries a message that you can impart to your audience.

I have people who love me and people that I love and a man that I love. So in that sense, I feel that I'm pretty well rounded.

I don't like Kublai Khan, let's just kill him off!

If I only get to play Malaysian roles, there wouldn't be very many roles for me to play.

The most important thing is that you have really good friends and family, and when you go back to them, it's like 'what?'. You carry on as who you are.

When I watch myself on-screen, I always look for the flaws.

And I don't feel any fear in a sense, because I have every good intention in my heart. When you face up to bad things in the past, the most important thing is not to allow them to happen today or in the future, and as storytellers, we must play our part in that.

I believe we are all born equal. You know, we are, whether you're a boy or a girl, you should have the same equal rights.

It's always important to understand as filmmakers that we're not making a documentary and it has to look good. It has to entertain, because otherwise your audience will switch and watch another series. It has to look better and larger than life.

That's the magic of filmmaking, to draw the audience into an exotic world and keep them there and keep the suspense.