Kobo Abe Quotes

It's a dangerous dog that doesn't bark.

— Kobo Abe

“Nature with her wealth of birds and flowers, Has in her heart a place for every weed; For her quick eyes require no microscope To note the varied wonders and delights That the Creator's humblest works possess.”

— Kobo Abe

Mankind, which has always been a part of nature, has reached a point where it is too much for nature to accommodate.

— Kobo Abe

“Yet there seemed to be some truth in the law of probability, according to which the chance of success is directly proportionate to the number of repetitions.”

— Kobo Abe

“When I was young, I could bounce back from things like a brand-new rubber ball.”

— Kobo Abe

“Without the threat of punishment, there is no joy in flight.”

— Kobo Abe

“Far happier he, who, young and full of pride And radiant with the glory of the sun, Leaves earth before his singing time is done. All wounds of Time the graveyard flowers hide, His beauty lives, as fresh as when he died.”

— Kobo Abe

“A plausible rumor / Seems a lot more believable / Than the truth itself.”

— Kobo Abe

“Time cannot be spurred on like a horse.”

— Kobo Abe

“The minute you begin to have doubts, the floor under your feet starts to shake.”

— Kobo Abe

Work seemed something fundamental for man, something which enabled him to endure the aimless flight of time.

— Kobo Abe

Perhaps the act of writing is necessary when nothing happens.

— Kobo Abe

Year after year students tumble along like the waters of a river. They flow away, and only the teacher is left behind, like some deeply buried rock at the bottom of the current.

— Kobo Abe

“Some people, when they're called before the police, like nothing better than to spill everything, fact and fiction alike, hoping to create a good impression.”

— Kobo Abe

“Green makes me think of silence, or maybe it's loneliness. I get the feeling of a terribly distant star.”

— Kobo Abe

“The thorn of death falls from heaven, and its myriad forms leave us no room to move.”

— Kobo Abe

“Things have value Because somebody buys them, Because somebody pays money; If you can find a buyer, Even a lie is worth a thousand yen.”

— Kobo Abe

“Now that you are dead, you are splendid. Photographs of people who have just died are worth twenty percent more, and for suicides there is an additional five percent. Now that you are dead you are much in demand.”

— Kobo Abe