25 Kazuo Ishiguro Quotes for a Deeper Understanding of the World
Writing fiction for the win, Kazuo Ishiguro is known as one of the greatest contemporary British authors (despite having been born in Japan, Nagasaki in 1954, his family moved to England in 1960.)
Ever since Ishiguro published his first novel, A Pale View of Hills, he became a literature prize darling: the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize, the Man Booker Prize, the Whitbread Prize and the Cheltenham Prize.
And this year, after publishing his latest novel, The Buried Giant, in 2015, Kazuo Ishiguro completed his collection with a Nobel Prize in Literature received from the Swedish Academy. The critics describe him as a writer "who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world".
Ishiguro is worthy of another prize from behalf of all of us, book lovers, in a sign of appreciation and respect for his work. Hence, here are 25 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes that go into the depths of the ugly truth and reveal the beauty within our lives.
Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.
Sometimes I get so immersed in my own company, if I unexpectedly run into someone I know, it's a bit of a shock and takes me a while to adjust.
You have to accept that sometimes that's how things happen in this world. People's opinions, their feelings, they go one way, then the other. It just so happens you grew up at a certain point in this process.
All children have to be deceived if they are to grow up without trauma.There was another life that I might have had, but I am having this one.
You say you’re sure? Sure that you’re in love? How can you know it? You think love is so simple?
She always wanted to believe in things.
The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.
The problem, as I see it, is that you've been told and not told. You've been told, but none of you really understand, and I dare say, some people are quite happy to leave it that way.
Poor creatures. What did we do to you? With all our schemes and plans?
If you are under the impression you have already perfected yourself, you will never rise to the heights you are no doubt capable of.
I can't even say I made my own mistakes. Really - one has to ask oneself - what dignity is there in that?
You need to remember that. If you’re to have decent lives, you have to know who you are and what lies ahead of you, every one of you.
After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?
We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time.
A part of us stayed like that: fearful of the world around us, and-no matter how much we despised ourselves for it-unable quite to let each other go.
When you are young, there are many things which appear dull and lifeless. But as you get older, you will find these are the very things that are most important to you.
And I saw a little girl, her eyes tightly closed, holding to her breast the old kind of world, one that she knew in her heart could not remain, and she was holding it and pleading, never to let her go.
One is not struck by the truth until prompted quite accidentally by some external event.
It's all right. I'm not upset. After all, they were just things. When you've lost your mother and your father, you can't care so much about things, can you?
But God will know the slow tread of an old couple’s love for each other, and understand how black shadows make part of its whole.
When Winston Churchill was asked to cut arts funding in favor of the war effort, he simply asked, 'then what are we fighting for?’.
Memory, I realize, can be an unreliable thing; often it is heavily colored by the circumstances in which one remembers.
How can old wounds heal while maggots linger so richly?
There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreams forever irredeemable.
Military Dad Defends His 4 Little Daughters When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Military Dad of 4 Daughters Defends His Girls When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Austin von Letkemann is the military officer strangers feel "sorry" for — and the reason is infuriating.
Whenever the devoted father leaves the house with his four children, strangers can't help but notice the officer in uniform is holding hands with 4 adorable little girls. They will tell the traditionally "masculine" and "all American" dad they feel sorry for him, because he has no sons. This dad makes one thing very clear: They are his daughters, they aren't a burden.
In a passionate video, von Letkemann took to Instagram to share with his followers that the only thing that's "difficult" about being a girl dad — is clapping back to these sexist remarks over and over again.
They Mock His Daughters To Their Face
When strangers approach Austin von Letkemann and his four daughters, they don't always realize that their comments are being overheard. They seem oblivious to the fact that his girls understand every word. Von Letkemann describes how people will approach him and, without thinking, make remarks like "I'm sorry" or even joke about his lack of sons. What they don't realize is that these comments, intended to be light-hearted or humorous, can be deeply hurtful to his daughters. These strangers are not just disrespecting von Letkemann's choices as a father; they're also sending a message to his daughters that their presence is something to be pitied. It’s a message that von Letkemann won't stand for, and he's speaking out to defend his girls from these insensitive remarksSaying "Get Your Shotgun" Isn't Funny — It's Sexist
Another common comment that Austin von Letkemann encounters is the old "better get your shotgun ready" trope, often delivered with a smirk or a wink. This line is typically intended to suggest that a father with daughters should be on high alert to protect them from potential "suitors," implying that they are objects to be guarded rather than individuals with agency.
Von Letkemann finds this line of thinking outdated and sexist. In his viral Instagram video, he points out that these jokes are not just stale — they're damaging.
By suggesting that his daughters require armed protection, the joke reinforces the idea that women are inherently vulnerable and need to be shielded from men. Von Letkemann argues that instead of promoting this narrative, society should focus on teaching respect and consent, challenging these sexist tropes at their source.
Watch Austin von Letkemann's Video:
"If I Had A Fifth Child, I'd HOPE It Was A Girl" — One Dad's Message For Other Parents
Despite the constant remarks about his lack of sons, Austin von Letkemann is clear: He wouldn't trade his daughters for anything.
In fact, he told his Instagram followers that if he were to have a fifth child, he would hope for another girl. This declaration isn't just about doubling down on his pride in his family — it's a pointed response to those who see fathering daughters as a misfortune.
Von Letkemann's stance is a powerful one, rejecting the notion that a family is incomplete without sons. He encourages others to question the assumptions behind these comments and to appreciate the joy and fulfillment that his daughters bring. By sharing his story, von Letkemann hopes to create a more inclusive perspective on fatherhood, one that values daughters just as much as sons.