Haruki Murakami
Japan's most internationally acclaimed living novelist
Most quoted
"Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts itself to your movement. Again and again. Until at last, you and the storm stop trying to outrun each other. This is because the storm isn't something that has nothing to do with you, something that's blowing from far away. The storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step."
— from Kafka on the Shore, 2002
"Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step."
— from Kafka on the Shore, 2002
"Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Again and again you play this game, like a hapless dancer with Death. Because the storm isn't something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn't get in, and walk through it, step by step."
— from Kafka on the Shore, 2002
All quotes by Haruki Murakami (395)
I think it's important to be curious, to always be asking questions.
I don't like to be tied down. I prefer to be free to explore.
What we see in the world is a reflection of what we see in ourselves.
I'm not a professional writer. I'm a professional runner.
I think I'm a very optimistic person. I'm not a pessimist. I'm an optimist. But I'm a realistic optimist.
I don't believe in the concept of 'inspiration.' I believe in the concept of 'work.'
Writing is a lonely profession. It's just you and the page.
I always try to write the kind of books I would like to read.
I don't have any particular message to convey. I just want to tell stories.
The most important thing is to be yourself. Don't try to be someone else.
I think that's the most important thing for a writer: to be honest with yourself.
I don't think about the readers when I'm writing. I just write what I want to write.
I'm not interested in writing about reality. I'm interested in writing about what's beyond reality.
I think that's the most important thing for a writer: to have a good imagination.
I don't like to talk about my writing process. It's a very private thing.
I think that's the most important thing for a writer: to be persistent.
I don't have any advice for young writers. Just write what you want to write.
I think that's the most important thing for a writer: to be curious.
I don't think about the future. I just live in the present.
I think that's the most important thing for a writer: to be open-minded.
Contemporaries of Haruki Murakami
Other Literatures born within 50 years of Haruki Murakami (1949).