Grace

“All of a sudden the air feels thin and something heavy is bearing down on my chest. Am I really doing the right thing? The thought makes me feel helpless, isolated.”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

“Narrow minds devoid of imagination.
Intolerance, theories cut off from reality, empty terminology, usurped ideals, inflexible systems. Those are the things that really frighten me.
What I absolutely fear and loathe.

Of course it's important to know what's right and what's wrong. Individual errors in judgment can usually be corrected. As long as you have the courage to admit mistakes, things can be turned around.

But intolerant, narrow minds with no imagination are like parasites that transform the host, change form and continue to thrive. They're a lost cause, and I don't want anyone like that coming in here.”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

“That’s what they called the chorus they used in Greek plays. They stand at the back of the stage and explain in unison the situation or what the characters are feeling deep inside. Sometimes they even try to influence the characters. It’s a very convenient device. Sometimes I wish I had my own chorus standing behind me.”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

“Sometimes I don’t understand it myself. I ask myself. I ask myself, what the hell am I, anyway? Really, what am I?’

I shake my head. ‘Well, I don’t know what I am, either.’

‘A classic identity crisis.’

I nod.

‘But at least you know where to begin. Unlike me.’

‘I don’t care what you are. Whatever you are, I like you,’ I tell him”
― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore