Books Quotes by Haruki Murakami

I like to read books. I like to listen to music.

— Haruki Murakami

I'm a very ordinary human being; I just happen to like reading books.

— Haruki Murakami

“Nights without work I spent with whisky and books.”

— Haruki Murakami

I'll write to you. A super-long letter, like in an old-fashioned novel

— Haruki Murakami

It's just like sex; when [a book is] finished, it's finished.

— Haruki Murakami

“My only passions were books and music. As you might guess, I led a lonely life.”

— Haruki Murakami

“All my books are weird love stories. I love weird love stories.”

— Haruki Murakami

A fortunate author can write maybe twelve novels in his lifetime.

— Haruki Murakami

“They knew the difference between thoroughness and overkill. It was like Jay Gatsby's library: the books were real, but the pages were…

— Haruki Murakami

“Liest man, was alle anderen auch lesen, kann man auch nur das denken, was alle anderen denken.”

— Haruki Murakami

Which is why I am writing this book. To think. To understand. It just happens to be the way I'm made. I…

— Haruki Murakami

I've always liked libraries. They're quiet and full of books and full of knowledge.

— Haruki Murakami

“I find writing novels a challenge, writing stories a joy. If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories…

— Haruki Murakami

I don't know how many good books I still have in me; I hope there are another four or five.

— Haruki Murakami

“...if it's something a single book can explain, it's not worth having explained.”

— Haruki Murakami

“This was his favorite time of day, reading to his heart's content before going to sleep. When he tired of reading, he…

— Haruki Murakami

I was enjoying myself writing, because I don't know what's going to happen when I take a ride around that corner. You…

— Haruki Murakami

“Not all guns have to be fired. A pistol is just a tool and where I am living is not a story…

— Haruki Murakami

It's true that at the time I was fond of Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan, and it was from them that I…

— Haruki Murakami

I hate requests. They make me feel unhappy. It's like when I take a book out of the library. As soon as…

— Haruki Murakami

What do we talk about? Just ordinary things. What happened today, or books we've read, or tomorrow's weather, you know. Don't tell…

— Haruki Murakami

I didn't have much to say to anybody but kept to myself and my books. With my eyes closed, I would touch…

— Haruki Murakami

For me, writing a novel is like having a dream. Writing a novel lets me intentionally dream while I'm still awake. I…

— Haruki Murakami

I'm not intelligent. I'm not arrogant. I'm just like the people who read my books. I used to have a jazz club,…

— Haruki Murakami

Reading was like an addiction; I read while I ate, on the train, in bed until late at night, in school, where…

— Haruki Murakami

“Nakata’s empty inside. I finally understand that. Nakata’s like a library without a single book. It wasn’t always like that. I used…

— Haruki Murakami

“And how was my time? Truth be told, not so great. At least, not as good as I’d been secretly hoping for.…

— Haruki Murakami

“It's not just that I'm dumb. Nakata's empty inside. I finally understand that. Nakata's like a library without a single book. It…

— Haruki Murakami

A short story I have written long ago would barge into my house in the middle of the night, shake me awake…

— Haruki Murakami

It is however, difficult to make your narratives relative by yourself. A novelists' work is to provide models to make your narratives…

— Haruki Murakami

“If you're looking for fine art or literature, you might want to read some stuff written by the Greeks. Because to create…

— Haruki Murakami

“It's little strange, perhaps, to make this claim at such a late date, but Gatsby really is an outstanding novel. I never…

— Haruki Murakami

“Of course, reading novels was just another form of escape. As soon as he closed their pages he had to come back…

— Haruki Murakami

“In that sense, this is not a standard book of interviews. Nor is it what you might call a book of 'celebrity…

— Haruki Murakami

I have no models in Japanese literature. I created my own style, my own way.

— Haruki Murakami

The good thing about writing book is that you can dream while you are awake...

— Haruki Murakami

“Writing a novel is like having a dream.”

— Haruki Murakami

Nights without work I spend with whisky and books.

— Haruki Murakami

If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.

— Haruki Murakami

“Somebody once said if it’s something a single book can explain, it’s not worth having explained.”

— Haruki Murakami