Days At The Morisaki Bookshop Quotes

It’s funny. No matter where you go, or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven’t seen anything. And that’s life.

I don’t think it really matters whether you know a lot about books or not. That said, I don’t know that much myself. But I think what matters far more with a book is how it affects you.

Don’t be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don’t live a lonely life without love. I’ve been so worried that because of what happened you’ll give up on falling in love. Love is wonderful. I don’t want you to forget that. Those memories of people you love, they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live. When you get old like me, you’ll understand.

in those days, I really was like a butterfly waiting patiently to come out of its chrysalis. As I turned page after page, I was waiting for my chance to take flight.

I wanted to see the whole world for myself. I wanted to see the whole range of possibilities. Your life is yours. It doesn't belong to anyone else. I wanted to know what it would mean to live life on my own terms.

No matter where I went, no matter who I was with, if I could be honest with myself, then that was where I belonged.

No matter how much time passed, the sadness never went away. I was carrying this feeling around—like there was a gaping hole left open inside me. And instead of disappearing, the emptiness inside me seemed to grow day by day.

I had too many ideals and ambitions for one person, and because of that, I ended up without a single one I could hold on to.

... maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you're truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it." "I don't know. I think maybe I've been wasting my time, just doing nothing." "I don't think so. It's important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbor. And your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while. And after you're well rested, you can set sail again.

It's important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbor. And your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while. And after you're well rested, you can set sail again.

The act of seeing is no small thing. To see something is to be possesses by it. Sometimes it carries off a part of you, sometimes it's your whole soul.' (Landscapes of the Heart by Motojiro Kajii)

When I’m sad, I read. I can go on reading for hours. Reading quiets the turmoil I feel inside and brings me peace. Because when I’m immersed in the world of a book, no one can get hurt,

People forget all kinds of things. They live by forgetting. Yet our thoughts endure, the way waves leave traces in the sand.

It's only in secondhand books that you can savor encounters like this, connections that transcend time. And that's how I learned to love the secondhand bookstore that handled these books, our Morisaki Bookshop. I realized how precious a chance I'd been given, to be part of that little place, where you can feel the quiet flow of time.

Day by day, the leaves of the trees along the streets turned to gold. It delighted me to see how well the changing colors matched the slow transformation happening inside me.

It’s funny. No matter where you go, or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven’t seen anything. And that’s life. We live our lives trying to find our way. It’s like that Santōka Taneda poem, the one that goes, ‘On and on, in and in, and still the blue-green mountains.

Who on earth played this cruel trick on me? The culprit, of course, was me.

Listen, life is short. In the story of your life, you’ve got to avoid people like that. Choose to be with the people who really choose you, people who see you as irreplaceable.

She and I have the same way of looking at things. It’s what brought us together, and I think it’s also the reason we split up. We met in the middle of the journey and we fell in love. But that doesn’t mean we’ll always be traveling together. At some point, everyone has to find their safe harbor. I’d always thought we’d make it to the end together. Unfortunately, that’s not how it turned out.

Another time, I happened to find a pressed flower someone had left as a bookmark. As I inhaled the scent of the long-ago-faded flower, I wondered about the person who had put it there. Who in the world was she? When did she live? What was she feeling? It’s only in secondhand books that you can savor encounters like this, connections that transcend time.

I was someone who took a long time to figure things out. But maybe it didn’t matter. I was enjoying myself.

And the sky felt unbelievably close. So endless and clear. If I stared at it too long, I felt like it might swallow me whole.

Sharing your thoughts with someone seems so simple, but at times it can be surprisingly difficult. Even more so when it’s someone you care so much for.

When I looked up, I saw the nearly full moon, missing just a sliver on the left, floating in the night sky.

No matter where you go, or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven't seen anything. And that's life. We live our lives trying to find our way. It's like that Santouka Taneda poem, the one that goes, 'On and on, in and in, and still the blue-green mountains'.

It was as if, without realizing it, I had opened a door I had never known existed. That’s exactly what it felt like. From that moment on, I read relentlessly, one book after another. It was as if a love of reading had been sleeping somewhere deep inside me all this time, and then it suddenly sprang to life.

That’s when I finally realized it wasn’t just a question of where I was. It was about something inside me. No matter where I went, no matter who I was with, if I could be honest with myself, then that was where I belonged.

But, I don’t know, maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you’re truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it.

But, I don’t know, maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you’re truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it.

And yet for all I read, I found book after book that I still wanted to read. I’d never experienced anything like this before. It made me feel like I had been wasting my life until this moment. I decided to stop sleeping all the time. It no longer seemed necessary. Instead of taking refuge in sleep after my uncle took over for me at the bookshop, I went to my room or to a café to read.

Your life is yours. It doesn't belong to anyone else. I wanted to know what it would mean to live life on my own terms.

This is where I finally realized that even though we call them all “bookstores,” each store has its own totally distinct flavor.

It’s funny. No matter where you go, or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven’t seen anything. And that’s life.

how crucial in life it is to not hide from your emotions but to face them.

It felt like no matter how many times I walked to her, I could never close the gap between us. Sometimes it felt like we were standing on opposite sides of a river, talking to one another from across an enormous divide

It’s important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbor. And your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while. And after you’re well rested, you can set sail again.

In a melodrama, this would've been my moment to get up and throw my wine in his face. But I'd never been that good at expressing my feelings like that. It's only once I'm alone, mulling things over, that I can figure out what on earth I'm really feeling.

So there in that dim room, with only the light of a little lamp near my pillow, I burrowed under my covers and began to read. My hope was that the book would be boring enough that I would fall right asleep. But a funny thing happened. An hour later, I was totally absorbed in it. Sure, there were some passages where the writing was difficult, but the subject of the book was human psychology, which is universal.

I don't know. I think maybe I've been wasting my time, just doing nothing." "I don't think so. It's important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbor. And your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while. And after you're well rested, you can set sail again

It’s funny. No matter where you go, or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven’t seen anything. And that’s life. We live our lives trying to find our way.

A shrine isn’t where you pray for something. It’s a place for you to express gratitude. It’s for you to tell the gods, ‘Thank you for always watching over me.

Maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you're truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it.

Don’t be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don’t live a lonely life without love.

I think what matters far more with a book is how it affects you.

It hurts to realize that it might be too late now for anything but regret.

I was practically drowning in books. I had completely forgotten their original purpose because up till then I had only seen them as a hostile presence in the room.

Men are simple. It doesn’t matter who they are. You can always seduce them with food.

maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you’re truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it.

No siempre es fácil entender lo que se quiere de la vida. De hecho, entenderlo lleva toda una vida.

I don't think it really matters whether you know a lot about books or not. That said, I don't know that much myself. But I think what matters far more with a book is how it affects you.

with her perfect posture, her expressive face, and her brisk way of talking, she still seemed young. Rather than getting older, she looked more like she’d shed anything that was unnecessary.

When you're sad, don't try to hold it in. It's okay to cry a lot. The tears are there be cause you've got to go on living. You're going on living, which means there'll be more things to cry about. They'll come at you from all sides. So don't ever try to hide from the sadness. When it comes, cry it out. It's better to keep moving forward with that sadness; thar's what it means to live.

Thank you for crying over me," Momoko said. "When you're sad, don't try to hold it in. It's okay to cry a lot. The tears are there because you've got to go on living. You're going on living, which means there'll be more things to cry about. They'll come at you from all sides. So don't ever try to hide from the sadness. When it comes, cry it out. It's better to keep moving forward with that sadness; that's what it means to live.

Don't be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don't live a lonely life without love. I've been so worried that because of what happened you'll give up on falling in love. Love is wonderful. I don't want you to forget that. Those memories of people you love, they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live. When you get old like me, you'll understand.

Another time, I happened to find a pressed flower someone had left as a bookmark. As I inhaled the scent of the long-ago faded flower, I wondered about the person who had put it there. Who in the world was she? When did she live? What was she feeling? It’s only in secondhand books that you can savor encounters like this, connections that transcend time. And that’s how I learned to love the secondhand bookstore that handled these books, our Morisaki Bookshop. I realized how precious a chance I’d been given, to be a part of that little place, where you can feel the quiet flow of time.

In the space of a few days, it felt like winter had arrived, and my favorite season was over. But that wasn't so bad. Because from here on, whether it was winter or spring or what- ever season might come, I believed these gentle days would continue. And all the people I love would spend them laughing together.

Don't be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don't live a lonely life without love... Love is wonderful. I don't want you to forget that. Those memories of people you love, they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live.

I don't know. I think maybe I've been wasting my time, just doing nothing. I don't think so. It's important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbor. And your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while. And after you're well rested, you can set sail again.

The act of seeing is no small thing. To see something is to be possessed by it. Sometimes it carries off a part of you, sometimes it's your whole soul." At some point in the past, someone reading this book had felt moved to take a pen and draw a line under these words. It made me happy to think that because I had been moved by that same passage too, I was now connected to the stranger.

There was something tender in the loving way he looked at the book that ended up making me want to read it. “Really? Five times? Maybe I should check it out." "I'm not sure I can really recommend it. What are you reading, Takako?

No matter where you go or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven't seen anything. And that's life. We live our lives trying to find our way. It's like that Santoka Taneda poem, the one that goes, 'On and on, in and in, and still the blue-green mountains

But, I don't know, maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you're truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it.

People can live anywhere if they put their mind to it.

I wanted to see the whole world for myself. I wanted to see the whole range of possibilities. Your life is yours. It doesn’t belong to anyone else. I wanted to know what it would mean to live life on my own terms.

I don't think it really matters whether you know a lot about books or not. That said, I don't know that much myself. But I think what matters far more with a book is how it affects you.

I'd found a warm, calm place to stay here, but I couldn't remain dependent on others forever. If I did, I would never grow up. My heart would always be weak. I was convinced that if I didn't leave, I would never be able to start over.

In my dream, I was an android maid living in a city in the not-so- distant future. In that neighbourhood, all the buildings were made of used books.

When I wasn’t travelling, I spent all my time reading.

I don't think it really matters whether you know a lot of books or not. That said, I don't know that much about myself. But I think what matters far more with a book is how it affects you.

Before I went to bed I set my alarm for eight, but at some point it must have been turned off. Who on earth played this cruel trick on me? The culprit, of course, was me.

No matter where you go, or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven’t seen anything. And that’s life. We live our lives trying to find our way.

Maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you're truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it.".

When I'm sad, I read. I can go on reading for hours. Reading quiets the turmoil I feel inside and brings me peace. Because when I'm immersed in the world of a book, no one can get hurt.

It’s important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbor. And your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while. And after you’re well rested, you can set sail again.

We're alive. There's no stopping time. So we have to keep on moving forward.

A grief that was so violent, so intensely palpable, that I felt like I could reach out and touch it.

most of the authors of the books here are no longer alive.

Their books are still with us, and we read them to this day, and feel moved by them.

But you could also say that he was able to write the novels he did precisely because he lived such a short time, and because death was always on his mind, as he burned through what remained of his life.

It’s a used bookstore called the Morisaki Bookshop and it specializes in modern Japanese literature.

As time went on, he taught me how thrilling reading can be, and how crucial in life it is to not hide from your emotions but to face them.

My uncle explained that back when bookbinding was still generally done by hand, the author would verify the number of copies and give his approval to the printing by stamping the books with his own seal.

I thought my drive to write was gone, but then I realized I still had it, and I just feel like it would be a shame to let it all eventually without really trying.

Can I confess something? I'm really jealous of you, Takako." "Me? Why?" I asked. What he'd said was so unexpected it astonished me. "You have so many people you can rely on, so many people you can trust.

It's because you draw all of these people to you. You have that magnetism. And because you value them too." "I'm not so sure about magnetism," I said, embarrassed.

There are people in this world whose hobby is astronomy and who find the vastness of the universe thrilling. And then, on the other hand, there are people whose hobby leads them to go to great lengths to collect these

It somehow feels incredibly luxurious to sit in your favorite coffee shop, reading a book, waiting for your boyfriend.

If you won’t open your heart, it’s selfish to expect the other person alone to open theirs to you, don’t you think?

If you think about it, most of the authors of the books here are no longer alive. It's a little bit strange, don't you think? Their books are still with us, and we read them to this day, and feel moved by them.

Choose to be with the people who really choose you, people who see you as irreplaceable.

Even though I worked at a bookshop, I don't know all that much about books. I feel like I've barely scratched the surface." "I don't think it really matters whether you know a lot about books or not. That said, I don't know that much myself. But I think what matters far more with a book is how it affects you.

The dumb thought popped into my head that if only all these tears were oil, I’d be rich, but it was so dumb that it made me cry more.

I happened to find a pressed flower someone had left as a bookmark. As I inhaled the scent of the long-ago-faded flower, I wondered about the person who had put it there. Who in the world was she? When did she live? What was she feeling? It’s only in secondhand books that you can savor encounters like this, connections that transcend time.

It's only in secondhand books that you can savor encounters like this, connections that transcend time.

I was someone who took a long time to figure things out. But maybe it didn’t matter. I was enjoying myself.

Uncle?” I thought that this might be my opportunity to ask the question I’d been wanting to ask him all along. “Yeah?” “Why did Aunt Momoko leave?” “Hmmm . . . She and I have the same way of looking at things. It’s what brought us together, and I think it’s also the reason we split up. We met in the middle of the journey and we fell in love. But that doesn’t mean we’ll always be traveling together. At some point, everyone has to find their safe harbor. I’d always thought we’d make it to the end together. Unfortunately, that’s not how it turned out.

On a whim, I bought a Japanese textbook that cost two thousand yen. The language in it was so old that it ended up feeling surprisingly fresh.

On my last day of work, Hideaki came over and said in a cheery voice, “Just ’cause you quit, doesn’t mean we can’t get dinner, right?

After all that time, I came back here. That’s when I finally realized it wasn’t just a question of where I was. It was about something inside me. No matter where I went, no matter who I was with, if I could be honest with myself, then that was where I belonged. By the time I realized that, half my life was over. So I went back to my favorite harbor, and I decided to drop anchor. For me, this is a sacred place. It’s where I feel most at ease.

So, having the wedding in June would be great, right, but she didn’t ask, and now, of course, it’s too late for this year, which is why . . .” I sat there in a daze listening to the words coming out of his mouth. Then, I muttered, “Oh, that’s good.” Even I was surprised by what I’d said. “Oh, thanks, but you know we can still see each other sometimes,” he said with a big smile. It was his usual smile—how sporting of him. He didn’t have a care in the world.