"Scoundrels like Naoji simply don't die. The ones who die are always the gentle, sweet, and beautiful people. Naoji wouldn't die even if you clubbed him with a stick." (pg 10)
Learning is another name for vanity. It is the effort of human beings not to be human beings." (63)
"''People always make a serious face when they tell a lie. The seriousness of our leaders these days! Pooh!" (66)
"When I pretended to be precocious, people started the rumor that I was precocious. When I acted like an idler, rumor had it I i was an idler. When I pretended I couldn't write a novel, people said I couldn't write. When I acted like a liar, they called me a liar. When I acted like a rich man, they started the rumor that I was rich. When I feigned indifference, they classed me as the indifferent type. But when I inadvertently groaned because I was really in pain, they started the rumor that I was faking suffering. The world is out of joint." (66-67)
-book translated by donald keene
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