I almost never slept deeply anymore--as soon as she said my name, I always sat up immediately, no matter how tired I was.

Watch out for life ... It's harder than it looks.

For me, books are music for my mind and my imagination. When I am stuck in something I'm writing, I simply read my way out of being stuck. You can never waste time reading.

you could see the roads crisscrossing over the fields. When cars went by, far away, the beams were so bright they seemed to be ropes of light pulling the cars behind.

Here at the sea---especially at the sea---I could hear my sister’s voice in the waves: “Kira-kira! Kira-kira!

It took seven years from the day I decided I wanted to write fiction to actually getting a book published.

I love writing about people on the road.

The blue of the sky is one of the most special colors in the world, because the color is deep but see-through both at the same time.

Why would a book in which hardly anything happened for most of the time eat at me so much? It was the weirdest thing

It sounded so weird when people called shoyu "soy sauce." It made it sound like Tabasco or something instead of the clean and perfect thing that it was.

Pray for faith, hope for peace, strive for unity, and persevere for harmony.

Perfection is an everlasting goal to pursue. It reminds us that we are mortal beings capable of making mistakes. When we correct them, it gives us an opportunity to become better people.

The height the dupe has fallen is measured by his anger.

Religion is just mind control.

I think cheerfulness is a fortune in itself.

Winning was everything. I don’t care what they tell you.

I'm not defined by what people think of me. My happiness comes from within.

Life responds to deserve and not to need.

Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue in New Orleans on Mardi Gras = bad idea!

I have been vain since birth.