Shōgun: The Epic Novel of Japan (The Asian Saga #1)

by James Clavell

“Ah, Anjin-san, that’s because you’re thinking in your own language. To understand Japanese you have to think Japanese. Don’t forget our language is the language of the infinite. It’s all so simple, Anjin-san. Just change your concept of the world. Japanese is just learning a new art, detached from the world … It’s all so simple.”

Being a Japanese language teacher this is my favorite quote from the book. It's actually on my syllabus and I talk about it with my students every year. I recommend the book to them and then tell them to let me know if they read it and to tell me what the next line is. I've never had a kid contact me though. Bummer. :(

“It’s all shit,” he had muttered in English, and felt better.

Here is the line after the quote above. If you've ever been frustrated learning a language, you've said this more than once.