In terms of evolutionary history, it was only yesterday that men learned to walk around on two legs and get in trouble thinking complicated thoughts. So don't worry, you'll burn out.

Strong and independent? I’m neither. I’m just being pushed along by reality, whether I like it or not.

My shadow is only half of what it should be." "Everyone has their shortcomings.

Everything passes. Nobody gets anything for keeps. And that's how we've got to live.

Memories and thoughts age, just as people do. But certain thoughts can never age, and certain memories can never fade.

We knew exactly what we wanted in each other. And even so, it ended. One day it stopped, as if the film simply slipped off the reel.

Oshima's silent for a time as he gazes at the forest, eyes narrowed. Birds are flitting from one branch to the next. His hands are clasped behind his head. "I know how you feel," he finally says. "But this is something you have to work out on your own. Nobody can help you. That's what love's all about, Kafka. You're the one having those wonderful feelings, but you have to go it alone as you wander through the dark. Your mind and body have to bear it all. All by yourself.