We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend who'd recently had a go at fiction. She can tell me to abandon whole novels.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the importance of honest and critical feedback in relationships, regardless of reputation.
Kazuo Ishiguro expresses how his wife serves as a blunt and honest critic of his work, illustrating the intimate dynamic where personal relationships can provide some of the most valuable and unfiltered feedback. Her ability to critique without fear of his literary status emphasizes the trust and depth in their relationship, showcasing how love can include tough love and constructive criticism.
Themes
CriticismFeedbackRelationshipsHonestyTrust
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a writer's conference, you might share this quote to illustrate the importance of honest feedback in creative endeavors.
More from Kazuo Ishiguro
All quotes →You need to remember that. If you’re to have decent lives, you have to know who you are and what lies ahead of you, every one of you.
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I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it's just too much. The current's too strong. They've got to let go, drift apart. That's how it is with us. It's a shame, Kath, because we've loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can't stay together forever.
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What I'm not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time.
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If you were a boy and a girl and you were in love with each other, really, properly in love, and if you could show it, then the people who run Hailsham, they sorted it out for you. They sorted it out so you could have a few years together before you began your donations.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
We all live inside bodies that will deteriorate. But when you look at human beings, they're capable of very decent things: love, loyalty. When time is running out, they don't care about possessions or status. They want to put things right if they've done wrong.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
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