Is it possible, in the final analysis, for one human being to achieve perfect understanding of another? We can invest enormous time and energy in serious efforts to know another person, but in the end, how close can we come to that person's essence? We convince ourselves that we know the other person well, but do we really know anything important about anyone?
Haruki MurakamiThe power to concentrate was the most important thing. Living without this power would be like opening oneโs eyes without seeing anything.
Haruki MurakamiThen I noticed that my shadow was crying too, shedding clear, sharp shadow tears. Have you ever seen the shadows of tears, Mr. Wind-Up Bird? Theyโre nothing like ordinary shadows. Nothing at all. They come here from some other, distant world, especially for our hearts. Or maybe not. It struck me then that the tears my shadow was shedding might be the real thing, and the tears that I was shedding were just shadows. You donโt get it, Iโm sure, Mr. Wind-Up Bird. When a naked seventeen-year-old girl is shedding tears in the moonlight, anything can happen. Itโs true.
Haruki MurakamiIf we reverse the outer shell and the essence--in other words, consider the outer shell the essence and the essence only the shell--our lives might be a whole lot easier to understand.
Haruki MurakamiI was in my house, alone in the living room, anxious about you, watching the flashes of lightning. And a flash of lightning lit up this truth for me, right in front of my eye. That night i lost you, I lost something inside me. Or perhaps several things. Something central to my existence, the very support for who I am as a person
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