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Quote by Kazuo Ishiguro

“... my main objection to Mr. Graham's analogy was the implication that this 'dignity' was something one possessed or did not by a fluke of nature; and if one did not self-evidently have it, to strive after it would be as futile as an ugly woman trying to make herself beautiful.”

Quote by Kazuo Ishiguro

Work

The Remains of the Day

This novel, set in the 1950s, follows the life of Stevens, a dedicated butler who serves the same family for decades. It delves into the complexities of his personal and professional life, reflecting on the impact of the war and the changing social landscape of England. The narrative is introspective, offering a nuanced look at the role of servants in British society and the hidden emotional landscapes of its characters. more

Author

Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese-born British novelist known for his unique literary style and profound insights into human nature. His works often explore themes of memory, identity, and common human emotions. Born on November 8, 1954, Ishiguro's career began with the publication of his first novel 'When Breath Becomes Air' in 1982, which received widespread acclaim. more

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“You’re right. One has to be mad. [...] Do you remember about the prehistoric reptile, the an- cestor of man, the first to emerge from the mud in early Paleozoic times, a milliard years ago, who set out to live in the air and to breathe, even though he had no lungs? [...] Well, he was mad too. Absolutely bats. That’s why he tried. He’s the ancestor of us all, and we shouldn’t forget it. But for him we wouldn’t be here. He was as crazy as they come. We too have got to try. That's what progress is. By trying like him, perhaps we’ll wind up with the necessary organs, the organ of dignity, of decency, or of fraternity.”

“For my own part, without breach of truth or modesty, I may affirm, that my life has been, on the whole, the life of a philosopher: from my birth I was made an intellectual creature: and intellectual in the highest sense my pursuits and pleasures have been, even from my school-boy days. If opium-eating be a sensual pleasure, and if I am bound to confess that I have indulged in it to an excess, not yet recorded of any other man, it is no less true, that I have struggled against this fascinating enthralment with a religious zeal, and have, at length, accomplished what I never yet heard attributed to any other man - have untwisted, almost to its final links, the accursed chain which fettered me. Such a self-conquest may reasonably be set off in counterbalance to any kind of degree of self-indulgence.”