To know oneโs own state is not a simple matter. One cannot look directly at oneโs own face with oneโs own eyes, for example. One has no choice but to look at oneโs reflection in the mirror. Through experience, we come to believe that the image is correct, but that is all.
Haruki MurakamiSo for all that we might speak words in each other's vicinity, this could never develop into anything that could be called a conversation. It was as though we were speaking in different languages. If the Dalai Lama were on his deathbed and the jazz musician Eric Dolphy were to try to explain to him the importance of choosing one's engine oil in accordance with changes in the sound of the bass clarinet, that exchange might have been more worthwhile and effective than my conversations with Noboru Wataya.
Haruki MurakamiTo be able to grasp something of value, sometimes you have to perform seemingly inefficient acts.
Haruki Murakami