We live a short enough time on this earth. A man should do what he loves.

Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There's no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.

In the end, the body betrayed everyone.

Everything seems simpler from a distance.

During the day, if I don't have any other commitments, I'm usually at my desk writing, revising, or researching anywhere from four to six hours.

Success is not handed to you. You must work hard for it and you must never dishonor what you've achieved.

It is not an act of bravery to try to save your own village. It is an instinct to protect what you possess. Bravery is when you step in to help when you have nothing to lose.

I also find doing the mundane, everyday things in life has a calming, creative influence on me. Some of my best ideas come when I'm vacuuming or waiting in lines.

Only once have I had the courage to ask Matsu what he felt about his country's victories in China. He was in the kitchen reading a magazine, as his radio blared from his room. He looked up at me and simply said, Japan is like a young woman who thinks too much of herself. She's bound to get herself into trouble.

To have strength without knowing how to use it means nothing.

When I'm in the midst of finishing a book, I can be working around the clock.

Do you think a champion is made out of thin air? It's through the hardships you endure that you'll gain real strength.

The eyes mirror the heart of a person. An entire life can be seen through them. Love, sorrow, deceit, pain. If you look closely, it's all there.

Sometimes you can't let go of the past without facing it again.