Miyazawa Kenji Quotes

Everyone calls him Blockhead
No one sings his praises
Or takes him to heart ...
That is the kind of person
I want to be ~ Kenji Miyazawa

Be not defeated by the rain, Nor let the wind prove your better.
Succumb not to the snows of winter. Nor be bested by the heat of summer.

Be strong in body. Unfettered by desire. Not enticed to anger. Cultivate a quiet joy.
Count yourself last in everything. Put others before you.
Watch well and listen closely. Hold the learned lessons dear.

A thatch-roof house, in a meadow, nestled in a pine grove's shade.

A handful of rice, some miso, and a few vegetables to suffice for the day.

If, to the East, a child lies sick: Go forth and nurse him to health.
If, to the West, an old lady stands exhausted: Go forth, and relieve her of burden.
If, to the South, a man lies dying: Go forth with words of courage to dispel his fear.
If, to the North, an argument or fight ensues:
Go forth and beg them stop such a waste of effort and of spirit.

In times of drought, shed tears of sympathy.
In summers cold, walk in concern and empathy.

Stand aloof of the unknowing masses:
Better dismissed as useless than flattered as a "Great Man".

This is my goal, the person I strive to become. ~ Kenji Miyazawa

The fox came to pay the birch tree a vist, bringing with him a book of poetry. He was wearing a dark blue suit fresh from the tailor's, and his light brown leather shoes squeaked slightly as he walked. ~ Kenji Miyazawa

We ordinary people must forge our own beauty. We must set fire to the greyness of our labor with the art of our own lives ... What is the essence of this art of living? Of course, even this art should have beauty as its essence. ~ Kenji Miyazawa

I am not made for despair ~ Lian Hearn

He had a smile like a hug, a kiss like a blush, and a touch like a blessing. He didn't see a whore when he looked at her. He saw Lizzie. Just Lizzie. ~ Shewanda Pugh

So I take a deep breath.
Step forward.
Let go.

10 seconds and I'm trying to breathe
9
And I'm trying to be brave
8
But the truth is I'm scared out of my mind
7
And I have no idea what's waiting for me behind that door
6
And I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a heart attack
5
But I can't turn back now
4
Because there it is
3
The door is right in front of me
2
All I have to do is knock
1
Butthe door flies open first. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Three forty-five-pound plates on each side of what Kenji told me is an Olympic bar, which weighs an additional forty-five pounds. I can't stop staring. I don't think that I've ever been more attracted to him in all the time I've known him."
"So this gets you going, huh?"
...
"I've never seen him in sweatpants before ... "
...
"I bet you've seen him in a lot less. ~ Tahereh Mafi

You know, I can sort of control it now," I tell him, beaming. "I can moderate my strength levels."
"Good for you. I'll buy you a balloon the minute the world stops shitting on itself. ~ Tahereh Mafi

I'm having a panic attack, you inconsiderate ass. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Kenji turns to look at me. He manages a goofy smile. "Aw, you trust me?"
"As long as I have a clear shot." I tighten my hold on the gun in my hand.
His grin is crooked. "I don't know why, but I kind of like it when you threaten me."
"That's because you're an idiot."
"Nah." he shakes his head. "You've got a sexy voice. Makes everything sound naughty."
Adam stands up so suddenly he nearly knocks over the coffee table. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Lizzie had no answer for how a whore could quiver from the caress of a man, or find tears at words that were sweet. After all, hadn't she been told she was beautiful before? Perfect? Worthy of worship?

She hadn't. ~ Shewanda Pugh

I don't have the time, the energy, or the interest to deal with your problems. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Making an object means imbuing it with its own spirit. ~ Kenji Ekuan

Oh, so now you're abusing the crippled kid, huh?" Kenji takes a moment to steady himself before punching Adam in the arm. "Save your angst for the battlefield, bro. You're going to need it. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Hey, um, I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for a friend of mine," he says. "Have you seen her? She's a tiny little thing, cries a lot, spends too much time with her feelings-"
"Shut up, Kenji!"
"Oh wait!" he says. "It is you. ~ Tahereh Mafi

And that day will come, when the feminists will come out of their central top secret worldwide headquarters, and say 'It`s on now, motherfuckers! ~ Kenji

Your suit looks just like mine." Kenji frowns. "I'm supposed to be the one with the black suit. Why can't you have a pink suit? Or a yellow suit - "
"Because we're not the freaking Power Rangers," Winston says, rolling his eyes.
"What the hell is a Power Ranger?" Kenji shoots back. ~ Tahereh Mafi

No matter what happens to me, I will always love the people of Syria, ~ Kenji Goto

I know I'm petty and I don't care.

- Kenji ~ Tahereh Mafi

Son of a motherless goat! ~ Tahereh Mafi

So, what - you just walk right past me? Don't even say hello?" He clutches the socks to his chest. "I'm crushed. I saved us a table and everything."

I glance at him. Keep walking.

He catches up. "I'm serious. Do you have any idea how awkward it is to wave at someone and have them ignore you? And then you're just looking around like a jackass, trying to be all, 'No, really, I swear, I know that girl' and no one believes y - ~ Tahereh Mafi

What the hell is wrong with you, man? I thought we were cool."
"We were," Warner says icily. "Until you touched my hair."
"You asked me to give you a haircut - "
"I said nothing of the sort! I asked you to trim the edges!"
"And that's what I did."
"This," Warner says, spinning around so I might inspect the damage, "is not trimming the edges, you incompetent moron - "
I gasp. The back of Warner's head is a jagged mess of uneven hair; entire chunks have been buzzed off. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Hey
jazz hands!" Kenji barks. "Get your ass back over here." He makes it a point to look as irritated as possible. "Back to work. And this time, focus. You're not an ape. Don't just throw your shit everywhere. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Warner scratches the back of his head. "Do you never get exhausted being so wholly unbearable? You have as much charisma as the rotting innards of unidentified roadkill."
I hear an abrupt wheezing noise and turn toward the sound.
Kenji has a hand pressed to his mouth, desperately trying to suppress a smile. He's shaking his head, holding up a hand in apology. And then he breaks, laughing out loud, snorting as he tries to muffle the sound. "I'm sorry," he says, pressing his lips together, shaking his head again. "This is not a funny moment. It's not. I'm not laughing."
Adam looks like he might punch Kenji in the face. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Are you out of your goddamn mind? You think we can take on two hundred soldiers? I know I am an extremely attractive man, J, but I am not Bruce Lee."
"Who's Bruce Lee?"
"Who's Bruce Lee?" Kenji asks, horrified. "Oh my God. We can't even be friends anymore."
"Why? Was he a friend of yours?"
"You know what," he says, "just stop. Just - I can't even talk to you right now. ~ Tahereh Mafi

You know, you have a really strange way of telling me you're attracted to me. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Kenji Mizoguchi is to the cinema what Bach is to music, Cervantes is to literature, Shakespeare is to theatre, Titian is to painting: the very greatest. ~ Jean Douchet

Regardless of what the object of design is, humans need design. For anything humans use in their day to day life, they need design and it is a clear and concrete proof of the fundamental human right to live. ~ Kenji Ekuan

Kenji has a hand pressed to his mouth, desperately trying to suppress a smile. He's shaking his head, holding up a hand in apology. And then he breaks, laughing out loud, snorting as he tries to muffle the sound. "I'm sorry," he says, pressing his lips together, shaking his head again. "This is not a funny moment. It's not. I'm not laughing ~ Tahereh Mafi

All the information in the universe, plus several bits from other dimensions that I'm still trying to sort out, have just been mainlined into my nervous system. The shards from a googleplex of infobits seem to be stuck in the part of my brain just above the pineal gland. Yes, I've just been reading Kenji Siratori again. This is my idea of a good time. ~ R.U. Sirius

I've seen a lot of strange things in my life, but I never thought I'd have the pleasure of seeing Kishimoto shut his mouth for longer than five minutes. ~ Tahereh Mafi

If you want nice Kenji maybe you should check back in the morning, because right now all I've got is jack shit in the way of pleasantries.

- Kenji ~ Tahereh Mafi

I don't think you should treat me like this, like I'm some idiot nothing, just because I don't know how to be a douchebag.
- Kenji ~ Tahereh Mafi

Comamandering is not a word.
It has letters, doesn't it? Sounds like a word to me. ~ Tahereh Mafi

Closing my eyes and holding still. It's the end if I get mad or scream. It's close to a prayer. Hate is not for humans. Judgment lies with God. That's what I learned from my Arabic brothers and sisters. ~ Kenji Goto

You're a total catch." "I know, right? I keep trying to tell people. ~ Tahereh Mafi

The world I remember was tired and racist and volatile as hell, ripe for a hostile takeover by a shit regime.
We were already divided.
The conquering was easy. ~ Tahereh Mafi

And that was it. There was nothing we could do. We just had to stand there, watching as they dropped bombs on thirty years of work, killed everyone too young or too old to fight back, and then massacred the rest of our team on the field." He clenches his hand around mine. "I come back here every day," he says. "Hoping someone will show up. Hoping to find something to take back." He stops then, voice tight with emotion. "And here you are. This shit doesn't even seem real."
I squeeze his fingers - gently, this time - and huddle closer to him. "We're going to be okay, Kenji. I promise. We'll stick together. We'll get through this. ~ Tahereh Mafi

I have no idea if Kenji is dead. ~ Tahereh Mafi