Quotes from Banana Yoshimoto

When I've fallen in love before, I've always tried to run it down and tackle it, but with him it would be different. The conversation we just had was like a glimpse of stars through a chink in a cloudy sky—perhaps, over time, talks like this would lead to love.

Giocavo a marito e moglie, a padre e figlia, a fare l'adulta, tutto era un gioco per me. Ma era un modo come un altro per cercare di continuare a vivere, e non significava affatto che non fossi sincera.

As well as the way he always said Itadakimasu, quietly, before he started eating.

That must be nice, I thought, to be able to be so carefree with the love you have.

I don't think he was actually human. I really don't," I replied, investing these words with as much meaning as possible. Of course he was nothing more than one vibrantly charismatic young man, but since his death was so sudden and meaningless, and because until he died he'd made life as enjoyable as he possibly could, his existence had taken on a peculiar meaning.

Truly great people emit a light that warms the hearts of those around them.

?ó là sá»± yên l?ng c?a nh?ng con ng??i nghÄ© r?ng mình không còn c?n thi?t cho th? giá»›i này n?a.

Que maravilla! Me basta con que él esté a mi lado; no necesito que sea mío. Todo el mundo disfruta recostándose bajo los grandes árboles que crecen en el parque, y pese a todo, esos árboles no pertenecen a nadie.

As soon as she gets an idea in her head she does it, you know? I just stand back in amazement at her way of making things happen.

I've traveled a long way today, I often think to myself.

Non ero triste per qualcosa in particolare, piangevo per tante cose insieme. [...] Dio, ti prego, aiutami a vivere.

When was it I realised that, on this truly dark & solitary path we all walk, the only way we can light is our own? Although I was raised with love, I was always lonely. Someday without fail, everyone will disappear, scattered into the blackness of time. I've always lived with that knowledge rooted in my being.

Because I wasn't in love with Yuichi, I understood that very well. The quality & importance of a fountain pen meant to him something completely different from what it meant to her. Perhaps there are people who love their fountain pens with every fiber of their being - and that's very sad. If you're not in love with him, you can understand him.

Potevo andare in qualunque posto, fare qualunque cosa. Stavo toccando con mano e vedendo con i miei occhi quanto fosse immenso il mondo e profonda l'oscurità e l'infinito fascino e solitudine di tutto ciò.

I've no idea how many young women like this there are in the world, but I kind of wonder if those oddly vague people you see in department stores during the day, women who don't quite seem to be students or people who work on their own, might not be the same. I know very well that I used to be like that myself, that I used to walk around with the same utterly unfocused look in my eye.

Because I have a lot of faith in you, I suddenly feel I out to tell you something. I learned it raising Yuichi. There were many, many difficult times, god knows. If a person wants to stand on her own two feet, I recommend undertaking the care and feeding something. It could be children, or it could be house plants, you know? By doing that you come to understand your own limitations. That's where it starts.

Life can be so hard. Yes. But if a person hasn't experienced true despair, she grows old never knowing how to evaluate where she is in life; never understanding what joy really is. I'm grateful for it.

From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to give up; I wanted to give up on living. There was no denying that tomorrow would come, and the day after tomorrow, and so next week, too. I never thought it would be this hard, but I would go on living in the midst of a gloomy depression, and that made me feel sick to the depths of my soul. In spite of the tempest raging within me, I walked the night path calmly.

Ogni persona è unica. È la cosa più importante di tutte, eppure troppo spesso ce ne dimentichiamo

Being frugal is well and good, but I think it's important to do this kind of thing, maybe, oh, once every six months or so.

As time passed, I began to sense that the sleepiness I'd felt—sleepiness so fierce it was almost amusing—was gradually, ever so gradually, draining from my body. My feet were swollen, my room got all messy, dark pockets formed under my eyes. I didn't particularly want the money, the work was pointless, and so it was extremely difficult.

I wondered whether that was the difference between having lost a father and lost a husband.

no es que nuestro tiempo se haya detenido. Las cosas van experimentando un cambio constante aunque éste sea tan lento que apenas se perciba.

When exactly did I give myself over to sleep? When did I stop resisting...? I used to be so lively, I was always wide awake — but when was that?