Mike K

“Apart from this lying, or because of it, what most tormented Ivan Ilych was that no one pitied him as he wished to be pitied. At certain moments after prolonged suffering he wished most of all (though he would have been ashamed to confess it) for someone to pity him as a sick child is pitied.”
― Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilych

“And the further he departed from childhood and the nearer he came to the present the more worthless and doubtful were the joys.”
― Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilych

“I have no sense of self. I have no personality, no brilliant color. I have nothing to offer. That’s always been my problem. I feel like an empty vessel. I have a shape, I guess, as a container, but there’s nothing inside.”
― Haruki Murakami, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

“The years passed by, quietly, like a gentle breeze. Leaving no scars behind, no sorrow, rousing no strong emotions, leaving no happiness or memories worth mentioning.”
― Haruki Murakami, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage