--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It feels like ancient history,\" said…" description: "\"“It feels like ancient history,\" said Naoko. But anyhow, sorry about last night. I don't know, I was a bundle of nerves. I really shouldn't have done t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/haruki-murakami-21_ancient-history_it-feels-like-ancient-history-said-naoko_2515337.jpg" --- # It feels like ancient history," said Naoko. But anyhow… ![“It feels like ancient history," said Naoko. But anyhow, sorry about last night. I don't know, I was a bundle of nerves. I really shouldn't have done that after you came here all the way from Tokyo." "Never mind," I said. "Both of us have a lot of feelings we need to get out in the open. So if you…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/haruki-murakami-21_ancient-history_it-feels-like-ancient-history-said-naoko_2515337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/haruki-murakami-21_ancient-history_it-feels-like-ancient-history-said-naoko_2515337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/haruki-murakami-21_ancient-history_it-feels-like-ancient-history-said-naoko_2515337.jpg) > ““It feels like ancient history," said Naoko. But anyhow, sorry about last night. I don't know, I was a bundle of nerves. I really shouldn't have done that after you came here all the way from Tokyo." "Never mind," I said. "Both of us have a lot of feelings we need to get out in the open. So if you want to take those feelings and smash somebody with them, smash me. Then we can understand each other better." "So if you understand me better, what then?" "You don't get it, do you?" I said. "It's not a question of 'what then.' Some people get a kick out of reading railroad timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out of matchsticks. So what's wrong if there happens to be one guy in the world who enjoys trying to understand you?”” [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 passage explores how people project their anxieties onto others and seek validation through intense emotional exchanges. **In simple terms:** People often use conflict to reveal hidden feelings. Key Takeaway Acknowledge emotions without aggression. Themes communication anxiety validation conflict self-awareness Mood reflective empathetic introspective Type dialogue literary conversational When to use this quote - relationship counseling - creative writing workshops - team conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology interpersonal dynamics emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do you express vulnerability without feeling exposed? - What role does humor play in defusing tension? A Different Perspective People may resist confronting feelings directly, leading to misunderstandings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-history/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Last night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-night/) [Lot Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot-feelings-1197068/) [Naoko Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naoko-sorry-1197066/) [Said Naoko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-naoko-1090857/) [Tokyo Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tokyo-mind-1197067/) [Trying Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-understand/) ## Related quotes > [“He wasn't so bad when the two of us came to see you, though. He was just his usual self." 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Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. 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The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. 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Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/) > [People whose concept of ancient history is the first series of Star Trek may be treated with patience, because it's usually not their fault…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/people-whose-concept-of-ancient-history-is-the-first-series-of-star/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Don’t you have a class this morning, Georgie?” Day mumbled something that sounded like “Ancient History of the Near East and Greece.” “Poof!” scoffed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/don-t-you-have-a-class-this-morning-georgie-day-mumbled-something/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) [Browse all 93 Ancient history quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It feels like ancient history,\" said Naoko. But anyhow, sorry about last night. I don't know, I was a bundle of nerves. I really shouldn't have done that after you came here all the way from Tokyo.\" \"Never mind,\" I said. \"Both of us have a lot of feelings we need to get out in the open. So if you want to take those feelings and smash somebody with them, smash me. Then we can understand each other better.\" \"So if you understand me better, what then?\" \"You don't get it, do you?\" I said. \"It's not a question of 'what then.' Some people get a kick out of reading railroad timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out of matchsticks. 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