At no time are we ever in such complete possession of a journey, down to its last nook and cranny, as when we are busy with preparations for it. After that, there remains only the journey itself, which is nothing but the process through which we lose our ownership of it.

Again and again, the cicada's untiring cry pierced the sultry summer air like a needle at work on thick cotton cloth.

The highest point at which human life and art meet is in the ordinary. To look down on the ordinary is to despise what you can't have. Show me a man who fears being ordinary, and I'll show you a man who is not yet a man.

Abruptly he thrust his snow-drenched leather gloves against my cheeks. I dodged. A raw carnal feeling blazed up within me, branding my cheeks. I felt myself staring at him with crystal clear eyes... From that time on I was in love with Omi.

His emotion evident in the glitter of his eyes.

If we value so highly the dignity of life, how can we not also value the dignity of death No death may be called futile.

When silence is prolonged over a certain period of time, it takes on new meaning.