Grotesque Quotes

“For a girl, appearance can be a powerful form of oppression. No matter how intelligent a girl may be, no matter her many talents, these attributes are not easily discerned. Brains and talent will never stand up against a girl who is clearly physically attractive.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“In order to induce the process of decay, water is necessary. I think that, in the case of women, men are the water.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“A woman who does not know herself has no choice other than to live with other people’s evaluations. But no one can adapt perfectly to public opinion. And herein lies the source of their destruction.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“My talent was the uncompromising ability to feel spite.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“If people can't stand being alone, they have no choice but to die”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“I suppose I’m the one responsible for destroying myself.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“A women who does not know herself has no choice other than to live with other people's evaluations.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“Men live by rules they've made for themselves. And among those rules is one specifying that women are merely commodities for men to possess. A daughter belongs to her father, a wife to her husband. A woman's own desires present obstacles for men and are best ignored.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“But it did seem that the thing we are most proud of and the thing we are most ashamed of are but the front and back of the same coin.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“And then there was her face: her white skin, her brown eyes, and her expression, so soft and beautiful; she looked as though she were constantly getting ready to ask a question. Even an immaculately crafted doll could not have been as lovely.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“For a nymphomaniac like myself, I suppose there could be no job more suitable than prostitution; it is my God-given destiny. No matter how violent a man might be, or how ugly, at the moment we're in the act I cannot help but love him. And what's more I'll grant his every wish, no matter how shameful. In fact, the more twisted my partner is, the more attracted I will be to him, because my ability to meet my lover's demands is the one way I can feel alive.
That is my virtue. It is also my biggest flaw. I can't deny a man. I'm like a vagina incarnate—female essence embodied. If I ever were to deny a man, I would stop being me.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“Was it my lot in life to stand forever on heaven's shores watching the glittering swirl of celestial bodies on the other side?”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“As a child I first became aware that my existence had a purpose when I realized men lusted after me. And that's why I will lust forever after men. Before I even began to worry about homework or any of those school things, I began having secret liaisons with men. And it is men who give me the proof I need now to feel I'm alive.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“Someone speak to me. Call out to me and take me out. Please, please, I'm begging you, say something kind to me.
Tell me I'm pretty, tell me I'm sweet.
Invite me out for coffee, or more...
Tell me that you want to spend the day with me and me alone.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“My lascivious blood leaves me no choice but to lust for men. No matter how common I become, how ugly, how old, as long as there is life in my body I will go on wanting men. That's just my fate. Even if men are no longer amazed when they see me, even if they no longer desire me, even if they belittle me, I have to sleep with them. No, I want to sleep with them. It's the retribution for a divinity that no one can sustain forever. I suppose you could say my 'power' was little more than sin.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“Desire and disgust. These two conflicting emotions always accompanied my thoughts of men.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“Here was a man who wanted what no one had wanted before: he wanted to get to know the inner workings of the doll-like woman who was me. Karl wasn't interested in me; neither was Johnson. But Kijima's father liked me for who I was. The realization left me feeling numb. I was touched. But being touched is not the same as feeling desire. And I didn't exist without desire. If I didn't exist, then what?”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“Kazue's journals depict an absolutely sublime struggle, the struggle between an individual and the rest of the world. Kazue lost the battle, ended up completely alone, and died hungry for some measure of kindness from another person. Don't you think it's a sad story?”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“I suspect there are lots of women who want to become prostitutes. Some see themselves as valued commodities and figure they ought to sell while the price is high. Others feel that sex has no intrinsic meaning in and of itself but allows individuals to feel the reality of their own bodies. A few women despise their existence and the insignificance of their meager lives and want to affirm themselves by controlling sex much as a man would. Then there are those who are actuated by violent, self-destructive behavior. And finally we have those want to offer comfort. I suppose there are any number of women who find the meaning of their existence in similar ways.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“You see, natural beauty creates such excitement that the existence of the weight is negated. And once it is negated, the heavier it is to bear.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“Even though he was my father, he couldn’t be relied on without a written agreement.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“In this world there are people who prefer beauty after it’s gone away or the dregs of a prosperity depleted.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“It seems in the final analysis that people who get involved in religion are only after their own personal happiness.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“The thing we are most proud of and the thing we are most ashamed of are but the front and back of the same coin. They torture and thrill all at once.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“A woman who does not know herself has no choice other than to live with other people's evaluations. But no one can adapt perfectly to public opinion. And herein lies the source of their destruction.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“I got up on time this morning, boarded the train, changed to the subway, and worked like an aggressive career woman in one of the biggest corporations around. At night I transformed into a prostitute sought out by men. Suddenly I remembered the argument I had had earlier with Arai and stopped short. I'm a company employee day and night. Or is it that I'm a prostitute night and day? Which is it? Which one is me?”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“Karl wasn’t interested in me; neither was Johnson. But Kijima’s father liked me for who I was. The realization left me feeling numb. I was touched. But being touched is not the same as feeling desire. And I didn’t exist without desire. If I didn’t exist, then what?”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“What are you good at?” “Nothing at all,” I said. “Just like me, then.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“she was—in a word—uncool.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque

“My talent was the uncompromising ability to feel spite. And whereas my talent far exceeded those of others, it was a talent that impressed no one but myself. I fawned over my talent. I polished it diligently every day.”
― Natsuo Kirino, Grotesque