--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do need that time, though, for Naoko's…" description: "\"“I do need that time, though, for Naoko's face to appear. And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. The sad truth is that what I could r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cd/haruki-murakami-21_darkness_i-do-need-that-time-though-for-naoko-s-f_2851664.jpg" --- # I do need that time, though, for Naoko's face to appear… ![“I do need that time, though, for Naoko's face to appear. And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too needed ten, then thirty, then a full minute-like shadows lengthening at dusk. Someday, I suppose, the shadows will be…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cd/haruki-murakami-21_darkness_i-do-need-that-time-though-for-naoko-s-f_2851664.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cd/haruki-murakami-21_darkness_i-do-need-that-time-though-for-naoko-s-f_2851664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cd/haruki-murakami-21_darkness_i-do-need-that-time-though-for-naoko-s-f_2851664.jpg) > ““I do need that time, though, for Naoko's face to appear. And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too needed ten, then thirty, then a full minute-like shadows lengthening at dusk. Someday, I suppose, the shadows will be swallowed up in darkness. There is no way around it: my memory is growing ever more distant from the spot where Naoko used to stand-ever more distant from the spot where my old self used to stand. And nothing but scenery, that view of the meadow in October, returns again and again to me like a symbolic scene in a movie. Each time is appears, it delivers a kick to some part of my mind. "Wake up," it says. "I'm still here. Wake up and think about it. Think about why I'm still here." The kicking never hurts me. There's no pain at all. Just a hollow sound that echoes with each kick. And even that is bound to fade one day. At the Hamburg airport, though, the kicks were longer and harder than usual. Which is why I am writing this book. To think. To understand. It just happens to be the way I'm made. I have to write things down to feel I fully comprehend them.”” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on how memory fades over time, using vivid imagery of shadows and kicks to illustrate the struggle to retain identity and meaning. **In simple terms:** Memory fades, but we try to capture it through writing. Key Takeaway Write to preserve fleeting thoughts. Themes memory identity time reflection Mood melancholic contemplative hopeful Type literary philosophical introspective When to use this quote - writing journal - therapy sessions - long‑distance relationships - aging process Key Concepts existentialism nostalgia self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - How do you anchor yourself when memories slip? - Can writing truly halt forgetting? A Different Perspective The metaphor may romanticize loss, overlooking practical coping strategies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Dusk Someday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dusk-someday-808564/) [Haruki-murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haruki-murakami/) [Memory Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-growing-1106138/) [Norwegian wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/norwegian-wood/) [Old self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-self/) [Sad truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad-truth/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Grown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-grown-808565/) [Time Naoko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-naoko-3798278/) [Years Passed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-passed/) ## Related quotes > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, then a full minute—like shadows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too-2/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. 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Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) [Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I do need that time, though, for Naoko's face to appear. And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too needed ten, then thirty, then a full minute-like shadows lengthening at dusk. Someday, I suppose, the shadows will be swallowed up in darkness. There is no way around it: my memory is growing ever more distant from the spot where Naoko used to stand-ever more distant from the spot where my old self used to stand. And nothing but scenery, that view of the meadow in October, returns again and again to me like a symbolic scene in a movie. Each time is appears, it delivers a kick to some part of my mind. \"Wake up,\" it says. \"I'm still here. Wake up and think about it. Think about why I'm still here.\" The kicking never hurts me. There's no pain at all. Just a hollow sound that echoes with each kick. And even that is bound to fade one day. At the Hamburg airport, though, the kicks were longer and harder than usual. Which is why I am writing this book. To think. To understand. It just happens to be the way I'm made. 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