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I’d known that the visit would be highly scripted and that genuine interactions with citizens wouldn’t be possible, since it’s illegal for them to speak with foreigners.

Adam Johnson

I am a champion standing over the shadow of my former self.
ADAM JOHNSON

Champion Motivational Self Shadow Standing
Once the dust clears you will be standing tall, a champion, a victor. NOTHING will be able to knock you down once you’ve taken the biggest hits this life has to offer, so come on life, BRING IT!
ADAM JOHNSON

Biggest Champion Clear Dust Hit Knock Nothing Offer Standing Victor
But, in North Korea, it’s just the opposite. There’s one story. It’s written by the Kim regime. And 23 million people are conscripted to be secondary characters.
ADAM JOHNSON

Character Conscripted Country Job Opposite Secondary Story Written
“A name isn’t a person.” Ga said. “Don’t ever remember someone by their name.
ADAM JOHNSON

Alive Heart Name Person Remember Someone
Where we are from… [s]tories are factual. If a farmer is declared a music virtuoso by the state, everyone had better start calling him maestro.
ADAM JOHNSON

Declared Factual Farmer Maestro Man Music Piano State Stories Virtuoso Wise
The urge to create a fictional narrative is a mysterious one, and when an idea comes, the writer’s sense of what a story wants to be is only vaguely visible through the penumbra of inspiration.
ADAM JOHNSON

Come Create Fictional Idea Inspiration Mysterious Narrative Sense Stories Visible Write
[I]n communism, you’d threaten a dog into compliance, while in capitalism, obedience is obtained through bribes.
ADAM JOHNSON

Bribe Communism Dog Obedience Obtained Socialism Threaten
Orphans are the only ones who get to choose their fathers, and they love them twice as much.
ADAM JOHNSON

Choose Father Love Much One Orphan Twice
Sometimes in life, things happen that will knock you back. Hell, you may get beaten to your knees but you must never ALLOW this world to knock you down!
ADAM JOHNSON

Adversity Allow Beaten Happen Hell Knee Knock Motivational never Overcoming World
All the human actions we think of as essential to a character – had be censored by the self lest they be punished by the state.
ADAM JOHNSON

Action Censored Character Essential Human Punish State
I know it really sounds cheesy, but I did feel a duty to try to tell the stories of people who couldn’t speak for themselves.
ADAM JOHNSON

Cheesy Duty Fel People Sound Speak Tell Themselves Try Trying
What good’s a captive without her captor?
ADAM JOHNSON

Captive Captor Good Question
All the lessons you need to learn in life, he said, will be taught to you by your enemy.
ADAM JOHNSON

All Enemy Lesson Life Need Taught
Conjure up all the strength you have and drive through whatever it is keeping you on your knees. Build up the strength and your knees may never buckle again!
ADAM JOHNSON

Again Buckle Conjure Drive Keeping Knee Strength
I thought that, with so much current attention focused on the topic of North Korea, I might share what I think are three books which cast a rare light on the elusive realm of North Korea.
ADAM JOHNSON

Attention Book Current Focused Light Share Thinking Topic
And secretly, he’d be wise to start practicing the piano. For us, the story is more important than the person. If a man and his story are in conflict, it is the man who must change.
ADAM JOHNSON

Change Conflict Important Paino Practsing Secretly Story Wise

I’d known that the visit would be highly scripted and that genuine interactions with citizens wouldn’t be possible, since it’s illegal for them to speak with foreigners.

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I’d known that the visit would be highly scripted and that genuine interactions with citizens wouldn’t be possible, since it’s illegal for them to speak with foreigners.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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