Yeoh's second tip — 'Know Your Limits' — works on two levels. Internally, knowing your limits keeps you humble, motivated, and focused. Externally, knowing the limits set for you by others gives you 'a place to point a different finger — the middle one.' As a young woman trying to break into Hong Kong film, she was cast in stereotypical roles: the demure, docile damsel in distress. But she wanted the action roles — the heroes — which were reserved exclusively for men. She went to her producer, asked for an action role, and proved her bankability in one make-or-break film. The distinction between self-imposed and externally-imposed limits is the philosophical core of her career: respect what's real about yourself, rebel against what others project onto you.