Across the Nightingale Floor

The less people think of you, the more they will reveal to you or in your presence.

How was it possible for the world to be so beautiful and so cruel at the same time?

I believe the test of government is the contentment of the people.

But just as the river is always at the door, so is the world always outside. And it is in the world that we have to live.

When illusions are shattered by truth, talent is set free.

The painter had achieved what we would all like to do: capture time and make it stand still

It's what you do to yourself when you go mad with rage. You have no idea how much you can hurt yourself with your own strength.

Don't you know the man whose life you spare will always hate you?

I learned embroidery," Kaede said, "But you can't kill anyone with a needle." "You can," Shizuka said offhandedly. "I'll show you one day.

Shame, however, was what I felt seeping through me as though it stained my white bones black.

The world is always outside. And it is in the world that we must live.

They reminded me of the people of my village, their indomitable spirit in the face of disaster, their unshakable belief that no matter what might befall them, life was basically good and the world benign.

Cuando era niño, solía llevar a casa animales del bosque (…) Nunca logré domesticarlos, porque lo único que querían, ciega e irracionalmente, era escapar.