

“People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that’s bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they’re afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they’re wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It’s all in how you carry it. That’s what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you’re letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.”
―
―

“The first duty of the novelist is to entertain. It is a moral duty. People who read your books are sick, sad, traveling, in the hospital waiting room while someone is dying. Books are written by the alone for the alone.”
―
―

“It began to occur to me that the whole story of love might be nothing more than a wicked lie; that simply sleeping beside another body night after night gives no express right of entry to the interior world of their thoughts or dreams;that we are separate in the end whatever contrary illusions we may cherish; and that this miserable truth might as well be faced, since it will be dinned into one, like it or not by the failings of those we hold dear. I wasn't so bitter now. I'd begun to emerge into a sense of satisfaction with my not, but it would be a long time before I trusted someone, for I'd seen how essentially unknowable even the best loved might prove to be.”
― To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface
― To the River: A Journey Beneath the Surface

“I will remember your small room, the feel of you, the light in the window, your records, your books, our morning coffee, our noons, our nights, our bodies spilled together, sleeping, the tiny flowing currents, immediate and forever. Your leg, my leg, your arm, my arm, your smile and the warmth of you who made me laugh again.”
―
―

“I'll belong to libraries wherever I go. Maybe eventually I'll belong to libraries on other planets.”
― Among Others
― Among Others

Discuss all things Haruki Murakami: novels, short stories, non-fiction, books about HM, translation projects, related music/film, interviews, symbolis ...more

Un lugar para discutir y hablar del intelectual y escritor Argentino. Uno de los más originales y polÃficos de su tiempo.

Franz Kafka's most famous works: The Metamorphosis, The Trial, The Castle, ... ...more
clarissa’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at clarissa’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends�
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by clarissa
Lists liked by clarissa