She was truly a beautiful girl. I could feel a small polished stone sinking through the darkest waters of my heart. All those deep convoluted channels and passageways, and yet she managed to toss her pebble right down to the bottom of it all.

I'm a writer. I don't support any war. That's my principle.

In most cases learning something essential in life requires physical pain.

Spend your money on the things money can buy. Spend your time on the things money can’t buy.

Oshima's silent for a time as he gazes at the forest, eyes narrowed. Birds are flitting from one branch to the next. His hands are clasped behind his head. "I know how you feel," he finally says. "But this is something you have to work out on your own. Nobody can help you. That's what love's all about, Kafka. You're the one having those wonderful feelings, but you have to go it alone as you wander through the dark. Your mind and body have to bear it all. All by yourself.

Nobody's going to win all the time. On the highway of life you can't always be in the fast lane.

I want you always to remember me. Will you remember that I existed, and that I stood next to you here like this?