In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.
Haruki MurakamiA regular wind-up toy world this is, I think. Once a day the wind-up bird has to come and wind the springs of this world. Alone in this fun house, only I grow old, a pale softball of death swelling inside me. Yet even as I sleep somewhere between Saturn and Uranus, wind-up birds everywhere are busy at work fulfilling their appointed rounds.
Haruki MurakamiDreams come from the past, not from the future. Dreams shouldn't control you--you should control them.
Haruki Murakamiice contains no future , just the past, sealed away. As if they're alive, everything in the world is sealed up inside, clear and distinct. Ice can preserve all kinds of things that way- cleanly, clearly. That's the essence of ice, the role it plays.
Haruki MurakamiYou canโt look too far ahead. Do that and youโll lose sight of what youโre doing and stumble. Iโm not saying you should focus solely on the details right in front of you, mind you. Youโve got to look ahead a bit or else youโll bump into something. Youโve got to conform to the proper order and at the same time keep an eye out for whatโs ahead. Thatโs critical, no matter what youโre doing.
Haruki Murakami