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Every one of us is like an island; alone and lonely. It’s not a bad thing. Solitude sets us free, just as loneliness brings depth to our lives. In the novels I like, the characters are like isolated islands. In the novels I love, the characters used to be like isolated islands, until their fates gradually intertwined; the kind of stories where you whisper, ‘You were here?’ and a voice answers, ‘Yes, always.’ You think to yourself, I was a little lonely, but because of you, I’m less alone. It’s a wonderful feeling and the book in your hands gives me a taste of that joy.
Immersing herself into the feelings of the characters provided a reprieve from her own. She grieved, suffered, and emerged stronger with them. As if sharing their experiences and emotions would, at the end of the book, allow her to understand anyone in the world.
Isn’t that what life is about? Forging forward with the answer you have – stumbling along the way and picking yourself up – only to one day realise that the answer you’ve held on to for a long time is not the right one. When that happens, it’s time to look for the next answer. That’s how ordinary folks, like herself, live. Over our life span, the right answer will keep changing.
As with everything in life, reading is about the right timing.
When authors delve deep into their understanding of life to touch the hearts of readers, helping them to navigate life, isn’t that what a good book should be?
what motivated the man in the story to take a train to Portugal and never return. He wasn’t sure if the man would find happiness or suffering at his destination, but he was sure that life was going to change completely for him. Wasn’t this sufficient? To live a life completely different from the present. For those who dream of a brand-new tomorrow, the man’s future is a dream come true.
Reading makes you deviate further from the textbook definition of success because books don’t make us go ahead of or above anyone else; they guide us to stand alongside others.
Books are not meant to remain in your mind, but in your heart. Maybe they exist in your mind too, but as something more than memories.
They kept pounding their chests in regret, to the extent they bruised the skin over their hearts.
He wanted to stop seeking or preparing for things. He hated the feeling of walking on a road with no end in sight or trying to push against a solid wall that wouldn’t budge.
‘Don’t you think there’ll be someone out there who knows how to love themself and yet not hurt others?’ ‘Is there even someone like this in the novels you love so much?
what he regretted was not lacking the environment to focus on his studies, but that he hadn’t been smart enough to think about whether studying would truly give him a good life or if it was the right path for him, that he wasn’t smart enough to consider the other paths out there.
‘Do you know what’s the most amazing thing a person can do?’ she wrote to me in a letter. I shook my head as I read. ‘Someone once told me,’ she wrote, ‘that saving a person is an extraordinary act not anyone can accomplish. So . . . no matter what happens, remember this. The camera you gave me saved my life.’
‘It was kind of my childhood dream. I don’t know why, but I’ve never aimed for a specific occupation. I was just not interested in becoming a doctor, or lawyer, or anything else. Neither did I want to be successful or famous. I just wanted a stable life. I mean, if I can be acknowledged for my skills in something, that’d be great, but that’s about it. I just wanted to be an independent person.’ ‘That’s a cool dream.’ ‘Not at all. It’s as if I don’t even know how to have proper dreams.’
‘Dissonance before moments of harmony makes the harmony sound beautiful. Just as harmony and dissonance exist side by side in music, life is the same. Because harmony is preceded by dissonance, that’s why we think life is beautiful.’
‘Is there a way that will accurately tell us whether the current moment we’re living in is harmony or dissonance? How do I tell what state I’m in now?’
I’m just curious. About my life right now.’ ‘How does it feel to you?’ Minjun looked conflicted. ‘I think it’s harmony, but everyone else seems to see it as dissonance.’
‘I’m living like this because that’s the way I am. I ought to just accept it. Stop blaming myself. Don’t be sad. Be confident.
But having something you’re interested in clears the airway.’
‘It makes breathing easier, and when that happens, life seems much more bearable.’
‘Sometimes I think about how lucky it is that I enjoy the wind. When the evening breeze blows, I thank it for clearing up the stuffiness in me and letting me breathe easier. They say hell hath no wind, so thank goodness where I am now must not be hell.
Life is too complicated and expansive to be judged solely by the career you have.
‘Being relaxed or relieved is not the state that we always have to be in. Sometimes, there’s a need to hold on to the frustration of the situation, to the complexity of things as you think and ponder.’
‘Sir, what should I do to “write properly”? My mum told me that I have to write this properly.’ Picking up his pen, Seungwoo replied: ‘Didn’t I already tell you? Write honestly. Write with effort. With honesty, and sincerity. Then whatever comes out of it will be properly written.’
‘To adopt a mature attitude towards life is to know how to live in the moment.’
‘A life surrounded by good people is a successful life.
