SZ > SZ's Quotes

“Greed always makes one foolish. Even when a person knows that there's only the abyss in front of him, he'll still attempt to walk to the edge and take a peek.”
― Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, Lord of the Mysteries Volume 1

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is the fear of the unknown.”
― Ai Qianshui de Wuzei, Lord of the Mysteries Volume 1

“By then she was dead. In fact, she may have been dead a while ago. Physically, several seconds ago, mentally, ages ago.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“It's not a bad thing to be loved.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“Loving someone always requires you to not love others.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“You all have your own distinct personal backgrounds. Of course some of you come from rich families, some from poor families. But circumstances beyond your control like that shouldn’t determine who you are. You must all realize what you’re worth on your own.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“Now, once again, 2 students left. But of course they're a part of you now.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“As he ran next to Noriko, a thought suddenly occurred to him. The screaming, their hasty footsteps, and the officer warning them to stop all receded as his mind was occupied with this thought.
It might have been inappropriate. And besides… he'd ripped it off. Oh, man.
But still he thought this:
Together Noriko we'll live with the sadness. I'll love you with all the madness in my soul. Someday girl I don't know when we're gonna get to that place. Where we really want to go and we'll walk in the sun. But till then tramps like us baby we were born to run.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“Shogo. I know I'm repeating myself, but I have to say it. If I were Keiko, this is what I'd say. Please Live. Talk, think, act. And sometimes listen to music... Look at paintings at times to be moved. Laugh a lot, and at times, cry. And if you find a wonderful girl, then you go for her and love her.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“You're so kind, Kazuhiko. That's what I like about you."
I like you, too. I love you so much."
If he weren't so inarticulate, Kazuhiko could have said so much more. How much her expression, her gentle manner, her pure untainted soul meant to him. How important, in short, her existence was to him. But he wasn't able to put into words. He was only a third-year student in junior high, and worst yet, composition was one of his worst subjects.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“There's no end to suspicion once you get going.”
― Koushun Takami

“Furthermore--though it was quite irrelevant now--he had no idea his killer, Kazuo Kiriyama, had, in his mansion that was much larger than Toshinori's home in Shiroiwa-cho, mastered the violin at a level far superior to Toshinori's a long time ago--and then tossed his violin into the trash.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“Shinji slowly fell forward onto his face. Debris bounced up on impact. It took less than thirty seconds for the rest of his body to die. The memento of his beloved uncle--the earring worn by the woman he loved--was now stained with the blood running down Shinji's left ear, reflecting the glow from the red flames of the farm building.
And so the boy known as the Third Man, Shinji Mimura, was dead.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“I didn't realize it until now, but I don't really know anything about them, or what kind of people they are, really. You can't see inside a person's heart.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“Takako looked into Hiroki's eyes and grinned.
"You've become quie a stud."
"And...you're the most stylin' girl in the world."
Takako smiled faintly. She wanted to thank him, but she was out of breath. She just stared at Hiroki's eyes. She was grateful. At least she wasn't going to die alone. The last person to stay with her ended up being Hiroki. And she was grateful. She really was.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“One thing was absolutely certain—it was a given for Kazuo. Although he might not have particularlyrealized it, or more appropriately, perhaps because he was incapable of coming to such a realization, this was what it came down to: he, Kazuo Kiriyama, felt no emotion, no guilt, no sorrow, no pity, towards the four corpses, including Mitsuru's—and that ever since the day he was dropped into this world theway he was, he had never once felt a single emotion.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“Shogo looked at Shuya and Noriko. "The winner's forced to transfer to another school where he or she is ordered not to mention the game and is instructed instead to lead a normal life. That's all."

Shuya felt his chest well up inside and his face froze. He stared at Shogo and realized that Noriko was holding her breath.

Shogo said, "I was a student in Third Year Class C, Second District, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture." He added, "I survived the Program held in Hyogo Prefecture last year.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“That was it. Shogo stopped breathing. The dim yellow light falling from the ceiling of the pilothouse shone on his pale face. He seemed at ease.

"Shogo!" Shuya yelled. He still had more to say. "You'll see Keiko! You'll be happy with her! You're--"

It was too late. Shogo couldn't hear anything anymore. But his face just looked so damned peaceful.

"Damn it." Shuya's lips trembled along with his words. "Damn it."

Holding Shogo's hands, Noriko was crying.

Shuya also put his hand on Shogo's thick hand. A thought occured to him. He searched through Shogo's pockets and found the red bird call. He pressed it into Shogo's right hand and closed his hands over it so he could hold it. Shuya then finally burst into tears.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“Kazuhiko could have taken his gun and aimed it at the person behind them. But Sakura wouldn't want that. What she wanted was to leave this world quietly before they got sucked into this horrible massacre. Nothing was more important to him than her. There was no room for compromise. If this were what her trembling soul wanted, then he would follow her. Had he been more eloquent he might have described his feelings as something like, "I'm going to die for her honor."

Their two bodies danced in the air beyond the cliff, their hands still clasped together, the black sea under them.”
― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

“It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

“Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

“The man who has a conscience suffers whilst acknowledging his sin. That is his punishment.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

“A hundred suspicions don't make a proof.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

“A quien dices tu secreto, das tu libertad.”
― Carmen Martín Gaite, Caperucita en Manhattan

“Vivir es saber estar solo para aprender a estar en compañía.”
― Carmen Martín Gaite, Caperucita en Manhattan

“Yo no comprendo cómo dice la gente que se aburre. A mí nunca me da tiempo para todo lo que quisiera hacer.”
― Carmen Martín Gaite, Caperucita en Manhattan

“Porque las cosas y las personas que sólo se han visto con los ojos de la imaginación pueden seguir viviendo y siendo iguales, aunque desaparezcan en la realidad. Cuando se han visto y luego se dejan de ver, el cambio es mayor.”
― Carmen Martín Gaite, Caperucita en Manhattan