---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I am writing, I do not distinguish…"
description: "\"When I am writing, I do not distinguish between the natural and supernatural. Everything seems real. That is my world, you could say.\" — Haruki Murakami"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/haruki-murakami-21_natural_when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-b_2667361.jpg"
---

#  When I am writing, I do not distinguish between the…

![“When I am writing, I do not distinguish between the natural and supernatural. Everything seems real. That is my world, you could say.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/haruki-murakami-21_natural_when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-b_2667361.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/haruki-murakami-21_natural_when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-b_2667361.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/haruki-murakami-21_natural_when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-b_2667361.jpg)

> “When I am writing, I do not distinguish between the natural and supernatural. Everything seems real. That is my world, you could say.”

[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.

He writes without separating natural from supernatural, treating all experiences as equally real.

**In simple terms:** All experiences feel real in his writing.

Key Takeaway

Blend reality and imagination freely.

Themes

creativity perception fiction

Mood

enigmatic thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- storytelling
- dream analysis

Key Concepts

magical realism ontological inquiry

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this approach affect narrative clarity?
- What does “real” mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Readers may find the blend confusing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Distinguish Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguish-natural-2475212/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural Supernatural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-supernatural-666914/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Supernatural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supernatural/) [Supernatural Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supernatural-real-1778901/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“When I am writing, I do not distinguish between the natural and supernatural. Everything seems real. That is my world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-between-the-natural-and/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Although I like a good scary movie, I’ve never actually believed anything paranormal or supernatural could be real...until today. Magic genies, witch spells, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-naumann/although-i-like-a-good-scary-movie-i-ve-never-actually-believed/)

[Jen Naumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-naumann/)

> [The problem of the novelist who wishes to write about a man's encounter with God is how he shall make the experience--which is both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-problem-of-the-novelist-who-wishes-to-write-about-a-man-s/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [Mysticism occurs whenever a human being sees the separation between the natural and the supernatural, between the temporal and the eternal, as overcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/mysticism-occurs-whenever-a-human-being-sees-the-separation-between/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [The natural/supernatural distinction itself, and the near-equation of 'supernatural' with 'superstition', are scarecrows that Enlightenment thought has erected in its fields to frighten away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/the-natural-supernatural-distinction-itself-and-the-near-equation-of/)

[N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/)

> [That so many manage to accommodate belief systems encompassing both the natural and the supernatural is a testament not to the compatibility of science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/that-so-many-manage-to-accommodate-belief-systems-encompassing-both/)

[Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/)

> [Science operates in the natural, not the supernatural. In fact, I go so far as to state that there is no such thing as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/science-operates-in-the-natural-not-the-supernatural-in-fact-i-go-so/)

[Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/)

> [“Religion, for Father Pavel, involved no escape from the natural into the supernatural, no repudiation of this world for the sake of a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/religion-for-father-pavel-involved-no-escape-from-the-natural-into/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [“As to my intense wish never to come into contact with the eldila myself, I am not sure whether I can make you understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/as-to-my-intense-wish-never-to-come-into-contact-with-the-eldila/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [“I am not sure whether I can make you understand it. It was something more than a prudent desire to avoid creatures alien in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/i-am-not-sure-whether-i-can-make-you-understand-it-it-was-something/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [The border between the natural and the supernatural, religion and philosophy, may not always be clear. But there are lines, and we should know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/the-border-between-the-natural-and-the-supernatural-religion-and/)

[Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/)

> [“The world of magic is double, natural, and supernatural. Magic is impossible in a purely materialist world, a purely sceptical world, a world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt/the-world-of-magic-is-double-natural-and-supernatural-magic-is/)

[A.S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt/)

> [“Slowly, like a movie fadeout, the real world evaporates. I'm alone, inside the world of the story. My favorite feeling in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/slowly-like-a-movie-fadeout-the-real-world-evaporates-i-m-alone/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Not all guns have to be fired. A pistol is just a tool and where I am living is not a story book world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/not-all-guns-have-to-be-fired-a-pistol-is-just-a-tool-and-where-i-am/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When you prick a person with a needle, red blood comes out- that's the real world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-you-prick-a-person-with-a-needle-red-blood-comes-out-that-s-the/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More by Haruki Murakami

> [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. 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. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. 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. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

[Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More Natural quotes

> [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/)

[Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/)

> [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/)

[Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/)

> [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [... the unnatural ways we substitute for the natural prove not enough and soon there must be more and more unnaturalness, more and more violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-freeman/the-unnatural-ways-we-substitute-for-the-natural-prove-not-enough-and/)

[Lucy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-freeman/)

> [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/)

[Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/)

> [ He \[ the son\]'s grown up listening to all types of music, and the natural form of rebellion is to find the one genre… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solange-knowles/he-the-son-s-grown-up-listening-to-all-types-of-music-and-the-natural/)

[Solange Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solange-knowles/)

> [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/teaching-children-about-the-natural-world-should-be-seen-as-one-of/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [But that quickly faded, and he frowned. "You're bleeding," he said. "What happened?" Claire sighed and held up her wrist to show him the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/but-that-quickly-faded-and-he-frowned-you-re-bleeding-he-said-what/)

[Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/)

> [I honestly don't like Photoshop. I think when people Photoshop things, all of a sudden you're like, 'That's not even me anymore.' It takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-aldridge/i-honestly-don-t-like-photoshop-i-think-when-people-photoshop-things/)

[Lily Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-aldridge/)

[Browse all 9,287 Natural quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I am writing, I do not distinguish between the natural and supernatural. Everything seems real. That is my world, you could say.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-between-the-natural-and-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Natural"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-between-the-natural-and-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/haruki-murakami-21_natural_when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-b_2667361.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/haruki-murakami-21_natural_when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-b_2667361.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/haruki-murakami-21_natural_when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-b_2667361.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I am writing, I do not distinguish between the natural and supernatural. Everything seems real. That is…” — Haruki Murakami",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Haruki Murakami",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I am writing, I do...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-between-the-natural-and-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-am-writing-i-do-not-distinguish-between-the-natural-and-2/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
