Quotes from book

Norwegian Wood

“What makes us the most normal," said Reiko, "is knowing that we're not normal.”

“What a terrible thing it is to wound someone you really care for and to do it so unconsciously.”

“I have a million things to talk to you about. All I want in this world is you. I want to see you and talk. I want the two of us to begin everything from the beginning.”

“Despite your best efforts, people are going to be hurt when it's time for them to be hurt.”

“Don't feel sorry for yourself. Only assholes do that.”

“A gentleman is someone who does not what he wants to do, but what he should do.”

“When you fall in love, the natural thing to do is give yourself to it. That's what I think. It's just a form of sincerity.”

“So what’s wrong if there happens to be one guy in the world who enjoys trying to understand you?”

“Not that we were incompatible: we just had nothing to talk about.”

“I don't care what you do to me, but I don't want you to hurt me. I've had enough hurt already in my life. More than enough. Now I want to be happy.”

“Every once in a while she'll get worked up and cry like that. But that's ok. She's letting her feelings out. The scary thing is not being able to do that. Then your feelings build up and harden and die inside. That's when you're in big trouble.”

“I really like you, Midori. A lot.”
“How much is a lot?”
“Like a spring bear,” I said.
“A spring bear?” Midori looked up again. “What’s that all about? A spring bear.”
“You’re walking through a field all by yourself one day in spring, and this sweet little bear cub with velvet fur and shiny little eyes comes walking along. And he says to you, “Hi, there, little lady. Want to tumble with me?’ So you and the bear cub spend the whole day in each other’s arms, tumbling down this clover-covered hill. Nice, huh?”
“Yeah. Really nice.”
“That’s how much I like you.”

“Loving another person is a wonderful thing, and if that love is sincere, no one ends up tossed into a labyrinth. You have to have more faith in yourself.”

“Which is why I am writing this book. To think. To understand. It just happens to be the way I'm made. I have to write things down to feel I fully comprehend them.”

“Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of it. By living our lives, we nurture death.”

“The others in the dorm thought I wanted to be a writer, because I was always alone with a book, but I had no such ambition. There was nothing I wanted to be.”

“I guess I don't really understand you yet,' I said. 'I'm not all that smart. It takes me a while to understand things. But if I do have time, I will come to understand you -- better than anyone else in the world ever can.”

“It's good when food tastes good, it's kind of like proof you're alive.”

“I wondered if she was trying to convey something to me, something she could not put into words - something prior to words that she could not grasp within herself and which therefore had no hope of ever turning into words.”