I was twenty-one at the time, about to turn twenty-two. No prospect of graduating soon, and yet no reason to quit school. Caught in the most curiousl….

I stare at this ceaseless, rushing crowd and imagine a time a hundred years from now. In a hundred years everybody here-me included-will have disappe….

He was silent for thirty seconds, maybe a minute. I uncrossed my legs under the table and wondered if this was the right moment to leave. It was as i….

One last word of advice, though, Mr. Okada, though you may not want to hear this. There are things in this world it is better not to know about. Of c….

According to Chekhov," Tamaru said, rising from his chair, "once a gun appears in a story, it has to be fired." "Meaning what?" "Meaning, don't bring….

She gave me this look – she might have been watching from a lifeboat as the ship went down. Or maybe it was the other way around..

If you remember me, then I don't care if everyone else forgets..

You don't have to judge the whole world by your own standards. Not everybody is like you, you know..

I'm not going to get involved in a debate with you. Just remember this: the gods give, and the gods take away. Even if you are not aware of having be….

sometimes i'd wake up at two or three in the morning and not be able to fall asleep again. i'd get out of bed, go to the kitchen, and pour myself a w….

You have to be practical. So every time I say, if you want to write a novel you have to be practical, people get bored. They are disappointed. They a….

I am worrying about my country. I feel I have a responsibility as a novelist to do something..

I've been lonely for so long. And I've been hurt so deeply. If only I could have met you again a long time ago, then I wouldn't have had to take all ….

Of what value is a civilization that can't toast a piece of bread as ordered?.

And everywhere, infinite options, infinite possibilities. An infinity, and at the same time, zero. We try to scoop it all up in our hands, and what w….

If you're young and talented, it's like you have wings..

I am struck by how, except when you're young, you really need to prioritize in life, figuring out in what order you should divide up your time and en….

Each individual has their own unique color, which shines faintly around the contours of their body. Like a halo. Or a backlight. I'm able to see thos….

A poet might die at twenty-one, a revolutionary or a rock star at twenty four. But after that you assume everything’s going to be all right. you’ve m….

The best thing would be to break your neck, but you'd probably just break your leg and then you couldn't do a thing. You'd yell at the top of your lu….

I have come to think that life is a far more limited thing than those in the midst of its maelstorm realize. That light shines into the act of life f….