“The only way to go beyond work is through work. It is not that work itself is valuable; we surmount work by work. The real value of work lies in the strength of self-denial.” — Kōbō Abe Copy Share Image
“People like me who lack something are liable to become spiteful critics.” — Kobo Abe Copy Share Image
“I rather think the world is like sand. The fundamental nature of sand is very difficult to grasp when you think of it in… — Kōbō Abe Copy Share Image
“Injuries to the body, especially the face, are not treated simply as problems of form. We should rather speak of themas belonging in the… — Kōbō Abe Copy Share Image
“What we mean when we say "terrible conditions" is conditions which we are aware of as being terrible.” — Kōbō Abe Copy Share Image
“He wanted to believe that his own lack of movement had stopped all movement in the world, the way a hibernating frog abolishes winter.” — Kōbō Abe Copy Share Image
“One could not do without repetition in life, like the beating of the heart, but it was also true that the beating of the… — Kōbō Abe Copy Share Image
“It is manifestly pregnant and has a bulging white belly heavy with its load of kittens.” — Kōbō Abe Copy Share Image
Many people ask why a writer commits suicide. But I think that people who ask don't know the vanity and the nothingness of writing.… — Kobo Abe Copy Share Image
“Everyone has his own philosophy that doesn't hold good for anybody else.” — Kōbō Abe Copy Share Image
“It would seem that marsupials are poor imitations of full-fledged mammals. Their inadequacy gives them a certain appeal; we’re touched by it.” — Kōbō Abe Copy Share Image
