I do feel that Iโve managed to make something I could maybe call my worldโฆover timeโฆlittle by little. And when Iโm inside it, to some extent, I feel kind of relieved. But the very fact I felt I had to make such a world probably means that Iโm a weak person, that I bruise easily, donโt you think? And in the eyes of society at large, that world of mine is a puny little thing. Itโs like a cardboard house: a puff of wind might carry it off somewhere.
Haruki MurakamiYou like to write. It's the single most important quality for someone who wants to be a writer. But not in itself enough.
Haruki MurakamiBut didn't you say you were satisfied with your life?" "Word games," I dismissed. "Every army needs a flag.
Haruki MurakamiI'm tired of living unable to love anyone. I don't have a single friend - not one. And, worst of all, I can't even love myself. Why is that? Why can't I love myself? It's because I can't love anyone else. A person learns how to love himself through the simple acts of loving and being loved by someone else. Do you understand what I am saying? A person who is incapable of loving another cannot properly love himself.
Haruki Murakami