What You Are Looking for Is in the Library

You may say that it was the book, but it’s how you read a book that is most valuable, rather than any power it might have itself.

In a world where you don’t know what will happen next, I just do what I can right now.

Life is one revelation after another. Things don’t always go to plan, no matter what your circumstances. But the flip side is all the unexpected, wonderful things that you could never have imagined happening. Ultimately it’s all for the best that many things don’t turn out the way we hoped.

As long as you continue to say the words “one day”, the dream is not over.

There are so many things to do, but I won’t make the excuse that I have no time anymore. Instead, I will think about what I can do with the time I have. One day is going to become tomorrow.

Readers make their own personal connections to words, irrespective of the writer's intentions, and each reader gains something unique.

When I buy a book, I also become part of the process as a reader. People working in the book industry are not the only ones who make the publishing world go round; most of all it depends on the readers. Books belong to everybody: the creators, the sellers and the readers. That’s what society is all about I believe.

If you can survive the ordeal of being born, you can get through anything.

You can decide things, but there’s no guarantee everything will go as planned.

What I do know is that there’s no need to panic, or do more than I can cope with right now. For the time being, I plan to simply get my life in order and learn some new skills, choosing from what’s available.

This didn’t just come to you. It happened because you did something for yourself. You took action and that caused things to change around you.

Singles are envious of those who are married, and married couples envy those with children, but people with children are envious of singles. It’s an endless merry-go-round. But isn’t that funny? That each person should be chasing the tail of the person in front of them, when no one is coming first or last. In other words, when it comes to happiness nothing is better or worse—there is no definitive state.

I’m still searching. Searching for somewhere I can be accepted as I am. Just one place is all I need. Somewhere to be at peace.

I know that now. Just as every day is equal in value and no less important than all the others. The day I was born, today as I stand here now and the many tomorrows to come.

Books will always be essential for some people. And bookshops are a place for those people to discover the books that will become important to them. I will never allow bookshops to vanish from this world.

You managed to find employment, you go to work every day and you can feed yourself. That's a fine achievement.

Things change. I change, other people change. That’s a good thing.

Everybody is connected. And any one of their connections could be the start of a network that branches in many directions. If you wait for the right time to make connections, it might never happen, but if you show your face around, talk to people and see enough to give you the confidence that things could work out, then ‘one day’ might turn into ‘tomorrow.

The days go by more happily when you have something to dream about. It’s not always a bad thing to have a dream, with no plan for ever carrying it out.

From big things to little, there are some things we simply cannot force to go to plan, no matter how hard we try.

I believe it is trust,’ she adds. ‘Trust?’ ‘Yes, trust. Anything you do – borrowing money from a bank, commissioning a piece of work, sending or receiving a parcel, making a plan with friends, ordering food at a restaurant – all those things can only happen because of mutual trust on both sides.

Now I know the importance of the heart being moved, I have a list of things I want to try.

There’s no guarantee of certainty in anything.

How uncanny the way what one reads can sometimes synchronize with reality.

How much had my own thinking limited my opportunities?

Belonging is an ambiguous state, you know. Take this place, for example. We can both be in the same place, but having that sheet of glass between us makes us feel as if what is happening on the other side is irrelevant, doesn’t it. Remove the partition, however, and instantly you become part of the same world. Even though it is all one to begin with.” Mr. Ebigawa looks into my eyes. “This is how I see it, Mr. Gonno. I believe that every kind of contact between people makes them part of society. And that goes beyond the present moment. Things happen as a result of our points of connection, in the past and in the future.

You told me that if you only ever look in front, your view will be quite narrow. So whenever I feel stuck or don’t know what to do, I try to broaden my view. Relax my shoulders and walk sideways like a crab.

It’s a question of passion. The majority may not accept something, but as long as there are some who do, the existence of that thing – whatever it may be – is protected.