Haruki Murakami

Japanese novelist

Contemporary influential 79 sayings

Sayings by Haruki Murakami

I'm not a political writer. I'm just a writer.

2011 — Interview with The Guardian
Controversial Unverifiable

The world is a very strange place, and it's getting stranger.

2014 — Interview with The New Yorker
Controversial Unverifiable

I think that the most important thing is to be true to yourself.

2017 — Interview with The New York Times
Controversial Unverifiable

The only way to find your true self is to get lost.

1994 — Novel, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Controversial Unverifiable

I'm not a fan of reality. I prefer imagination.

2017 — Interview with The Guardian
Controversial Unverifiable

The world is a dream, and we are all dreaming it.

2009 — Novel, 1Q84
Controversial Unverifiable

I think that the most important thing is to be open to new experiences.

2004 — Interview with The Paris Review
Controversial Unverifiable

The human mind is a mysterious place, and it's the writer's job to explore it.

2014 — Interview with The New Yorker
Controversial Unverifiable

I'm not interested in being famous. I'm interested in writing good books.

2009 — Interview with The Guardian
Controversial Unverifiable

The world is a dangerous place, but it's also a beautiful place.

2011 — Interview with The New York Times
Controversial Unverifiable

I think that the most important thing is to have a sense of humor.

2004 — Interview with The Paris Review
Controversial Unverifiable

The only way to make sense of the world is to tell stories about it.

2014 — Interview with The New Yorker
Controversial Unverifiable

I'm not a fan of happy endings. I prefer realistic endings.

2017 — Interview with The Guardian
Controversial Unverifiable

The world is a lonely place, but we're all in it together.

1987 — Novel, Norwegian Wood
Controversial Unverifiable

The only way to escape the past is to confront it.

2002 — Novel, Kafka on the Shore
Controversial Unverifiable

I'm not a fan of rules. I prefer to break them.

2011 — Interview with The Guardian
Controversial Unverifiable

The world is a maze, and we're all trying to find our way out.

2014 — Interview with The New Yorker
Controversial Unverifiable

I'm not a machine. I'm a human being. I have feelings. I have a soul. And I don't like being told what to do.

1987 — Norwegian Wood
Humorous Unverifiable

Don't tell me you're a writer. Just write.

2000s — Interview/Advice to writers
Humorous Unverifiable

I have to read a lot of books to write a book. And I have to run a lot to write a book.

2009 — Interview on his writing routine
Humorous Unverifiable