24 Classic Quotations by Natsume Soseki: My Emotions Are Not Meant to Be Followed by Anyone

1Humans should emulate cats. They are the most indifferent, ruthless, and demanding creatures, and the most resistant to human manipulation. They are likely also the most difficult to hypnotize. Therefore, I also want to emulate cats, trying to become more cold, callous, apathetic, and independent... And only when I'm thinking about eating fish will I make the cute meowing sounds.

2Any emotional immersion is dangerous. More dangerous is the apparent 'suitability' in your captivating gaze, which seems to be inherently predisposed to such stories.

3The essence of demonic things is inherent in all people, directed towards their own exterior, driving them to surpass themselves and seek unlimited realms – an unstable force. Just as nature preserves a portion of the past's chaos within its being, allowing it to remain within our souls.

4Love, roughly speaking, means following someone, and my feelings are not meant to be followed by anyone.

5Perhaps due to inherent weakness, I am always filled with a sense of foreboding when experiencing joy.

6As long as a bit of well-behaved faith is given, social credit will increase tenfold.

7For me, beauty must be a shield against life, protecting me from life at the same time.

8I've never been a believer in beauty, it's not believable that beauty produces fantasies, and fantasies produce explainable things.

9A person's thoughts must focus on one of three realms – the past, the present, or the future – and cannot transcend the domain of 'one's own thoughts' at a specific historical point.

10Once a man reaches 30, his name quickly fades away, like peeling paint. The reality represented by those names is even more illusory and useless, and will be gradually abandoned in everyday life.

11People with limited imagination can easily deduce things from reality. But those with a rich imagination build imaginary cities, close the 'windows' that could be used for observation, and prevent imaginative flights of fancy from escaping.

12Once a person becomes trapped in beauty, they are bound to unconsciously stumble into the darkest lines of the world.

13It's not true that women are never troubled by the question of whether they are loved.

14Young men holding onto young women, both can hear their beating hearts. Long kisses bring pain to young men who are unable to satisfy their desires. But at some point, this pain transforms into an unbelievable sense of happiness. The flickering campfire intermittently throws sparks. They hear these sounds and the howling of the storm through the windows, mixed with the beating of their hearts.

15If I still have a bit of emotion, I can't help but expect the same from the other person, whether it's love or hate.

16. On days when sunlight is too abundant in winter, even my transparent heart receives light. It was at this time that I fantasized about growing unfettered wings on my body, and strongly anticipated that my life would be one of unfulfilled potential.

17. A young man built a small ice city in this world of insecurity. Competition, ambition, greed, love – anything that could cause someone to stumble – was irrelevant to this small city.

18. If they didn't hurry to complete their destined path, but walked at the same pace as others, and kept their extraordinary talents a secret, society wouldn't allow such people to exist.

19I can't forgive myself for many of the misunderstandings I've had. Everything must start with clear observation. If there's any misunderstanding, it creates a fantasy, a fantasy produces beauty.

20Curiosity has no moral code, perhaps it's the most immoral desire that humans can have.

21It's no longer a source of pride that I'm misunderstood by others. So I don't have any urge to be understood or to perform. I feel that fate has not given me anything remarkable. So my loneliness has grown, like a pig.

22Fortunately, evil things appear beautiful because we're viewing them from a distance. If we were to plunge into the depths of evil, we would never consider it beautiful.

23. People can excitedly talk about a common memory for an hour. But this isn't conversation; it's the release of a long-held, pent-up emotion. They realize they don't share common topics, as if separated by a bridge across a precipice. So when they can't bear the silence, they repeatedly bring the topic back to the past.

24. Just as in dreams, the past resembles the future.