Some people think literature is high culture and that it should only have a small readership. I don't think so... I have to compete with popular culture, including TV, magazines, movies and video games.

The rain that fell on the city runs down the dark gutters and empties into the sea without even soaking the ground

I get irritated, I get upset. Especially when I'm in a hurry. But I see it all as part of our training. To get irritated is to lose our way in life.

Time, of course, topples everyone in its path equally- the way that driver beats his old horse until it dies. But the thrashing we receive is one of frightful gentleness. Few of us even realize that we are being beaten.

You have to wait until tomorrow to find out what tomorrow will bring.

Life doesn't require ideals. It requires standards of action.

What makes us the most normal," said Reiko, "is knowing that we're not normal.