#ow

I lost some of my friends because I got so famous, people who just assumed that I would be different now. I felt like everyone hated me. That is the most unhappy time of my life. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#be different #because #different #everyone #famous

I don't know how many good books I still have in me; I hope there are another four or five. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#books #five #four #good #hope

To be a leader, you have to make people want to follow you, and nobody wants to follow someone who doesn't know where he is going. ↗

— Joe Namath

#going #know #leader #make #nobody

I'm a writer, not a professional runner. It's fun and it helps me write. I need powerful concentration. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#fun #helps #i #me #need

I collect records. And cats. I don't have any cats right now. But if I'm taking a walk and I see a cat, I'm happy. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#cat #cats #collect #happy #i

I didn't want to be a writer, but I became one. And now I have many readers, in many countries. I think that's a miracle. So I think I have to be humble regarding this ability. I'm proud of it and I enjoy it, and it is strange to say it this way, but I respect it. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#be humble #became #countries #enjoy #his way

I know how fiction matters to me, because if I want to express myself, I have to make up a story. Some people call it imagination. To me, it's not imagination. It's just a way of watching. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#call #express #fiction #how #i

I myself have been on my own and utterly independent since I graduated. I haven't belonged to any company or any system. It isn't easy to live like this in Japan. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#been #belonged #company #easy #graduated

Many people tell me that they don 't know what to feel when they finish one of my books because the story was dark, or complicated, or strange. But while they were reading it, they were inside my world and they were happy. That's good. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#books #complicated #dark #feel #finish

Many people, especially young people, would like to be more independent and on their own. But it is very difficult and they suffer from feelings of isolation. I think that is one reason why young readers support my work. ↗

— Haruki Murakami

#especially #feelings #i #i think #independent