Death was not the opposite of life. It was already here, within my being, it had always been here, and no struggle would permit me to forget that.

If you can love someone with your whole heart, even one person, then there's salvation in life. Even if you can't get together with that person.

Precipitate as weather, she appeared from somewhere, then evaporated, leaving only memory.

People want to be bowled over by something special. Nine times out of ten you might strike out, but that tenth time, that peak experience, is what people want. That's what can move the world. That's art.

The good thing about writing books is that you can dream while you are awake. If it’s a real dream, you cannot control it. When writing the book, you are awake; you can choose the time, the length, everything. I write for four or five hours in the morning and when the time comes, I stop. I can continue the next day. If it’s a real dream, you can’t do that.

But still," Ayumi said, "it seems to me that this world has a serious shortage of both logic and kindness." "You may be right," Aomame said, "But it's too late to trade it in for another one.

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