I read Naoko's letter again and again, and each time I read it I would be filled with the same unbearable sadness I used to feel whenever Naoko stared into my eyes. I had no way to deal with it, no place I could take it to or hide it away. Like the wind passing over my body, it had neither shape nor weight, nor could I wrap myself in it.

I would never see her again, except in memory. She was here, and now she's gone. There is no middle ground. Probably is a word that you may find south of the border. But never, ever west of the sun.

Animals that not only move by their own free will and share feelings with people but also possess sight and hearing qualify as deserving of names.

Young people these days don't trust anything at all. They want to be free.

There is nothing so cruel in this world as the desolation of having nothing to hope for.

I can't understand nothingness. I can't understand it and I can't imagine it.

You make do with what you have. As you age you learn even to be happy with what you have.