Haruki Murakami

Literature Japanese 1949 395 quotes

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'm not a religious person, but I do believe that there is something out there that is bigger than us.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

We're all just trying to find our way in this world, and sometimes we get lost.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

The world is full of beautiful things, but sometimes we're too busy to notice them.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

No matter how much you try to run away from your past, it will always catch up to you.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

To truly understand the world, you must first understand yourself.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

The most important thing is to be true to yourself, no matter what anyone else says.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

Sometimes the most ordinary things are the most beautiful.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

We all have a story to tell, and it's up to us to tell it.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

Life is a journey, not a destination.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

The world is a mysterious place, and we're all just trying to figure it out.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

What we call the present is a very small part of eternity.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

Everything that has a beginning has an end. Make your peace with that and all will be well.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

The human heart is like a old house. It has many rooms, and some of them are dark and dusty.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

We are all connected, even if we don't realize it.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

The world is full of signs and symbols, if only we know how to read them.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

Sometimes the best way to find yourself is to get lost.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

The past is a ghost, the future a dream, and all we ever have is now.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

There are some things you can only learn in a storm.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

Kafka on the Shore 2002

We are all searching for something, even if we don't know what it is.

Kafka on the Shore 2002