In any case, suffice it to say I enjoyed hearing about faraway places. I had stocked up a whole store of these places, like a bear getting ready for hibernation. I'd close my eyes, and streets would materialize, rows of houses take shape. I could hear people's voices, feel the gentle, steady rhythm of their lives, those people so distant, whom I'd probably never know.
Haruki MurakamiHuman beings are ultimately nothing but carriers-passageways- for genes. They ride us into the ground like racehorses from generation to generation. Genes don't think about what constitutes good or evil. They don't care whether we are happy or unhappy. We're just means to an end for them. The only thing they think about is what is most efficient for them.
Haruki MurakamiI have read all my novels that were translated into English. Reading my novels is enjoyable because I forget almost all the content in them.
Haruki MurakamiPain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Say youโre running and you think, โMan, this hurts, I canโt take it anymore. The โhurtโ part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand anymore is up to the runner himself.
Haruki MurakamiI often recall these words when I am writing, and I think to myself, โItโs true. There arenโt any new words. Our job is to give new meanings and special overtones to absolutely ordinary words.โ I find the thought reassuring. It means that vast, unknown stretches still lie before us, fertile territories just waiting for us to cultivate them.
Haruki Murakami