Keigo Higashino > Quotes

“Sometimes, all you had to do was exist in order to be someone's saviour.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“It’s more difficult to create the problem than to solve it. All the person trying to solve the problem has to do is always respect the problem’s creator.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“Watching people is a bit of a hobby of mine. It's quite fascinating, really.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“Even when you’re at the top, there’s always something higher,”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“You know how the sun rises and sets at a certain time each day? In the same way, all of our lives have a day and night. But it's not set like it is with the sun. Some people walk forever in the sunlight, and some people have to walk through the darkest night their whole lives. When people talk about being afraid, what they're afraid of is that their sun will set. That the light they love will fade.”
― Keigo Higashino, Journey Under the Midnight Sun

“The relationship between teacher and student is based on illusion. The teacher is under the illusion that he is teaching something, and the student is under the illusion that he is being taught. What’s important is that this shared illusion makes both teacher and student happy. Nothing good is gained by facing the truth, after all. All we’re doing is playing at education.”
― Keigo Higashino, Malice

“Be a fighter. Give it everything you’ve got. Even a losing battle is worth fighting. Go out and make your mark.”
― Keigo Higashino, ナミヤ雑貨店の奇蹟

“When you wander in the dark too long, you start to see things that aren’t really there.”
― Keigo Higashino, Journey Under the Midnight Sun

“Believe me. No matter how bad things are today, they’ll be far better tomorrow. — Namiya General Store”
― Keigo Higashino, ナミヤ雑貨店の奇蹟

“People who live with their head in the clouds deserve to hit the ground every once in a while.”
― Keigo Higashino, ナミヤ雑貨店の奇蹟

“Which is harder: devising an unsolvable problem, or solving that problem?”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“he presented me with a mathematical conundrum,” he said. “It’s a famous one, the P = NP problem. Basically, it asks whether it’s more difficult to think of the solution to a problem yourself or to ascertain if someone else’s answer to the same problem is correct.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“Sometimes it's as important to prove there is no answer to a question as it is to answer it.”
― Keigo Higashino, Salvation of a Saint

“People don't drfit apart for one specific reason. Well, you might be able to find a reason, but you could come up with one only after you made up your mind, a tired excuse tacked on after the fact. If their hearts were still in it and their bond was threatening to sever, you'd think one of them would step in and try to fix things. When no one does, you you know the bond has already been broken.”
― Keigo Higashino, ナミヤ雑貨店の奇蹟

“Your map has yet to be drawn. Which makes it impossible to decide where you’re going, much less how you’re going to get there.
Faced with a blank map, who wouldn’t feel lost? It would puzzle anyone.
But try this on for size. A blank map means you can fill it in however you like. It’s entirely up to you. Everything is open; the possibilities are limitless.
It’s a beautiful thing. I can only hope this helps you find a way to start believing in yourself, and to move through life with no regrets.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Miracles of the Namiya General Store

“That's what happens when you free people from the restraints of time. They make their own rigid schedule.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“Everyone has secrets. And everyone has the right to keep them. Even if they’re dead.”
― Keigo Higashino, Malice

“Kusanagi had met plenty of good, admirable people who’d been turned into murderers by circumstance. There was something about them he always seemed to sense, an aura that they shared. Somehow, their transgression freed them from the confines of a mortal existence, allowing them to perceive the great truths of the universe. At the same time, it meant they had one foot in forbidden territory. They straddled the line between sanity and madness.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“I would propose that every woman has a little darkness under the surface,”
― Keigo Higashino, Journey Under the Midnight Sun

“People who’ve been traumatized by a crime are victims, too. Finding ways to comfort them is also part of my job.”
― Keigo Higashino, Newcomer

“Tunnel vision is no way to make it as a researcher. Your assumptions are your worst enemies. Trust them too much, and you’ll fail to see what’s right under your nose.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“The sun had set. Night had come to the city. How easy it would be if everything went dark, and the world ended right here, right now. What a relief it would be.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“It seems to me that you have two options: hide the fact that anything happened, or hide the fact that you had anything to do with it.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“It didn’t bother me. It excited my curiosity. And I believe there is no greater sin than to leave one’s curiosity unsatisfied.”
― Keigo Higashino, A Midsummer's Equation

“There’s something I’ve learned from years of reading people’s letters. In most cases, they already have an answer to their problem. They’re asking for advice because they want to see if other people think they’re making the right decision. That’s why a lot of people send me a response after reading my advice. Maybe they had a different solution in mind.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Miracles of the Namiya General Store

“I love you more than anything else in this world. That's why your words were like a knife stabbing me in the heart. That's why you have to die, too.”
― Keigo Higashino

“It’s not a calculation. It’s a smart woman’s instinct for self defense.”
― Keigo Higashino, Salvation of a Saint

“You’re familiar with the P = NP problem, right?” Yukawa asked from behind him. Ishigami looked around. “You’re referring to the question of whether or not it is as easy to determine the accuracy of another person’s results as it is to solve the problem yourself—or, failing that, how the difference in difficulty compares. It’s one of the questions the Clay Mathematics Institute has offered a prize to solve.”
― Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X

“There are some mysteries in this world," Yukawa said suddenly, "that cannot be unraveled with modern science. However, as science develops, we will one day be able to understand them. The question is, is there a limit to what science can know? If so, what creates that limit?"

Kyohei looked at Yukawa. He couldn't figure out why the professor was telling him this, except he had a feeling it was very important.

Yukawa pointed a finger at Kyohei's forehead. "People do." he said. "People's brains, to be more precise. For example, in mathematics, when somebody discovers a new theorem, they may have other mathematicians verify it to see if it's correct. The problem is, the theorems getting discovered are becoming more and more complex. That limits the number of mathematicians who can properly verify them. What happens when someone comes up with a theorem so hard to understand that there isn't anyone else who can understand it? In order for that theorem to be accepted as fact, they have to wait until another genius comes along. That's the limit the human brain imposes on the progress of scientific knowledge. You understand?"

Kyohei nodded, still having no idea where he was going with this.

"Every problem has a solution," Yukawa said, staring straight at Kyohei through his glasses. "But there's no guarantee that the solution will be found immediately. The same holds true in our lives. We encounter several problems to which the solutions are not immediately apparent in life. There is value to be had in worrying about those problems when you get to them. But never feel rushed. Often, in order to find the answer, you need time to grow first. That's why we apply ourselves, and learn as we go."

Kyohei chewed on that for a moment, then his mouth opened a little and he looked up with sudden understanding.

"You have questions now, I know, and until you find your answers, I'll be working on those questions too, and worrying with you. So don't forget, you're never alone.”
― Keigo Higashino, A Midsummer's Equation

“If you make a habit out of it, it's nothing. The important thing is to make sure that you don't collect too much stuff. I keep throwing out all the extra stuff. If you do that, cleaning up isn't hard at all. As long as you have thirty minutes, you can get it done. One week is ten thousand eighty minutes, so if you just put in some effort for thirty minutes, you can spend about ten thousand minutes in comfort. But if you don't put in the thirty minutes of effort, you'll have to spend ten thousand minutes in discomfort.”
― Keigo Higashino