Norwegian Wood

by Haruki Murakami

When you’re surrounded by endless possibilities, one of the hardest things you can do is pass them up.

“I have a lot more patience for others than I have for myself, and I’m much better at bringing out the best in others than in myself. That’s just the kind of person I am.

I do feel sorry that you and Naoko could not see things through to a happy ending. But who can say what’s best? That’s why you need to grab whatever chance you have for happiness where you find it, and not worry too much about other people. My experience tells me that we get no more than two or three such chances in a lifetime, and if we let them go, we regret it for the rest of our lives.

“Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of life.”

By living our lives, we nurture death.

no truth can cure the sorrow we feel from losing a loved one.

“Letters are just pieces of paper,” I said. “Burn them, and what stays in your heart will stay; keep them, and what vanishes will vanish.”