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Haruki Murakami Quotes - Page 43

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it occurred to me what a simple thing reality is, how easy it is to make it work. It's just reality. Just housework. Just a home. Like running a simple machine. Once you learn to run it, it's just a matter of

it occurred to me what a simple thing reality is, how easy it is to make it work. It's just reality. Just housework. Just a home. Like running a simple machine. Once you learn to run it, it's just a matter of repetition. You push this button and pull that lever. You adjust a gauge, put on the lid, set the timer. The same thing, over and over.

Haruki Murakami
Running, Home, Simple

Whenever I meet people for the first time, I get them to talk for ten minutes. Then I size them up from the exact opposite perspective of all they’ve told me. Do you think that’s crazy? “No,” I said, shaking my head, “I’d guess your method works quite well.

Haruki Murakami
Crazy, Thinking, Opposites
FaceBook post by Haruki Murakami from Jun 25, 2014

Potentiality knocks on the door of my heart. [On Seeing The 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning ]

Haruki Murakami
Beautiful, Girl, Morning

In terms of evolutionary history, it was only yesterday that men learned to walk around on two legs and get in trouble thinking complicated thoughts. So don't worry, you'll burn out.

Haruki Murakami
Men, Thinking, Two

It was spring break, so the theater was always packed with high schools students. It was an animal house. I wanted to burn the place down.

Haruki Murakami
Spring, School, Animal
Haruki Murakami (2011). “Dance Dance Dance”, p.159, Random House

And, well, mine are kind of on the heavy side anyway. The first day or two, I don't want to do ANYTHING. Make sure you keep away from me then.' I'd like to, but how can I tell?' I asked. O.K., I'll wear a hat for a couple of days after my period starts. A red one. That should work,' she said with a laugh. 'If you see me on the street and I'm wearing a red hat, don't talk to me, just run away.

Haruki Murakami
Running, Couple, Two

I think of myself as more the non-turn-on type. so when I do get turned on, I don’t trust it, I have to investigate the source.

Haruki Murakami
Thinking, Source, Type
Haruki Murakami (1993). “Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: A Novel”, Vintage

I have come to think that life is a far more limited thing than those in the midst of its maelstorm realize. That light shines into the act of life for only the briefest moment - perhaps only a matter of seconds. Once it is gone and failed to grasp its offered revelation, there is no second chance. One may have to live the rest of one's life in hopeless depth of loneliness and remorse. In that twilight world, one can no longer look forward to anything. All that such a person holds in his hands is the withered corpse of what should have been.

Haruki Murakami
Loneliness, Twilight, Thinking
"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle". Book by Haruki Murakami, August 25, 1995.

I'm still not sure I made the right choice when I told my wife about the bakery attack.But then,it might not have been a question of right or wrong. Which is to say that wrong choices can produce right results, and vice versa. I myself have adopted the position that,in fact, we never choose anything at all. Things happen. Or not.

Haruki Murakami
Wife, Choices, Vices
Haruki Murakami (1994). “The Elephant Vanishes”, Vintage

This is the extent of his knowledge of the sea: it was very big, it was salty, and fish lived there.

Haruki Murakami
Sea, Bigs, Fishes
Haruki Murakami (2011). “Kafka On The Shore”, p.231, Random House

Well, think of what I’m doing to you right now. For me I’m the self, and you’re the object. For you, of course, it’s the exact opposite—you’re the self to you and I’m the object. And by exchanging self and object, we can project ourselves onto the other and gain self-consciousness. Volitionally.” “I still don’t get it, but it sure feels good.” “That’s the whole idea,” the girl said.

Haruki Murakami
Girl, Thinking, Self

Perhaps most people in the world aren’t trying to be free, Kafka. They just think they are. It’s all an illusion. If they really were set free, most people would be in a real pickle. You’d better remember that. People actually prefer not being free?

Haruki Murakami
Real, Thinking, People

pulled into my convenient neighborhood fast food restaurant. I ordered shrimp salad, onion rings, and a beer. The shrimp were straight out of the freezer, the onion rings soggy. Looking around the place, though, I failed to spot a single customer banging on a tray or complaining to a waitress. So I shut up and finished my food. Expect nothing, get nothing.

Haruki Murakami
Beer, Complaining, Shrimp
Haruki Murakami (1993). “Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: A Novel”, Vintage

When microorganisms die, they make oil; when huge timbers fall, they make coal. But everything here was pure, unadulterated rubbish that didn't make anything. Where does a busted videodeck get you?

Haruki Murakami
Fall, Oil, Doe
Haruki Murakami (1993). “Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: A Novel”, Vintage

What do we talk about? Just ordinary things. What happened today, or books we've read, or tomorrow's weather, you know. Don't tell me you're wondering if people jump to their feet and shout stuff like 'It'll rain tomorrow if a polar bear eats the stars tonight!

Haruki Murakami
Stars, Rain, Book
Haruki Murakami (2011). “Norwegian Wood”, p.140, Random House

It's a quiet place, so people talk quietly," said Naoko. She made a neat pile of fish bones at the edge of her plate and dabbed at her mouth with a handkerchief. "There's no need to raise your voice here. You don't have to convince anybody of anything, and you don't have to attract anyone's attention.

Haruki Murakami
Voice, People, Needs

I found a Bill Evans record in the bookcase and was listening to it while drying my hair when I realized that it was the record I had played in Naoko's room on the night of her birthday, the night she cried and I took her in my arms. That had happened only six months earlier, but it felt like something from a much remoter past. Maybe it felt that way because I had thought about it so often-too often, to the point where it had distorted my sense of time.

Haruki Murakami
Past, Night, Hair

When it's raining like this," said Naoko, "it feels as if we're the only ones in the world. I wish it would just keep raining so the three of us could stay together.

Haruki Murakami
Rain, Wish, Together
Haruki Murakami (2011). “Norwegian Wood”, p.213, Random House

Hey, what is it with you? Why are you so spaced out? You still haven't answered me." I probably still haven't completely adapted to the world," I said after giving it some thought. "I don't know, I feel like this isn't the real world. The people, the scene: they just don't seem real to me." Midori rested an elbow on the bar and looked at me. "There was something like that in a Jim Morrison song, I'm pretty sure." People are strange when you're a stranger.

Haruki Murakami
Song, Real, People

I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. But it was not until much later that I was able to get any real sleep. In a place far away from anyone or anywhere, I drifted off for a moment.

Haruki Murakami
Real, Sleep, Eye

That's the kind of death that frightens me. The shadow of death slowly, slowly eats away at the region of life, and before you know it everything's dark and you can't see, and the people around you think of you as more dead than alive.

Haruki Murakami
Dark, Thinking, Shadow Of Death
"Norwegian Wood". Book by Haruki Murakami, October 10, 2011.

The world in books seemed so much more alive to me than anything outside. I could see things I'd never seen before. Books and music were my best friends. I had a couple of good friends at school, but never met anyone I could really speak my heart to.

Haruki Murakami
Couple, Book, Heart

One last word of advice, though, Mr. Okada, though you may not want to hear this. There are things in this world it is better not to know about. Of course, those are the very things that people most want to know about. It's strange.

Haruki Murakami
People, Advice, World

I write weird stories. I don't know why I like weirdness so much ... But when I write, I write weird. That's very strange. When I'm getting more and more serious, I'm getting more and more weird.

Haruki Murakami
Writing, Stories, Serious

Reality's just the accumulation of ominous prophecies come to life. All you have to do is open a newspaper on any given day to weigh the good news versus the bad news, and you'll see what I mean.

Haruki Murakami
Mean, Reality, News

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