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)
What I want is to sleep. A good, sound, deep sleep. The kind of sleep that makes you forget everything.
The world is a stage, and we are all actors.
Sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
We are all searching for something. Something to fill the void.
I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it—just once. But I never did.
The past is like a broken mirror. You can try to put it back together, but it will never be the same.
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
Even if we don't understand each other, we have to try to get along.
The world is not a problem to be solved; it is a mystery to be experienced.
To truly love another person is to love all of them, the good and the bad, the light and the dark.
The human heart is like a deep well. No one knows what is at the bottom.
We are all born with a certain amount of potential. The key is to unlock it.
Sometimes a little trouble is a good thing. It makes you appreciate the good times even more.
I have a theory that the world is a giant mirror, and we are all reflections of each other.
The only thing that matters is the present moment. The past is gone, and the future is not yet here.
What we call the past is not a dead thing, but a living force that continues to shape our lives.
It's not about finding answers, it's about asking questions.
The world is full of beautiful things, if you just take the time to look.
The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to.
Contemporaries of Haruki Murakami
Other Literatures born within 50 years of Haruki Murakami (1949).