12 quotes by Kazuo Ishiguro which will leave you completely mesmerised

While Japan-born British author Kazuo Ishiguro might have initially thought that his winning the 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature was a hoax, it is undeniable that he is perhaps, one of the more cerebral authors of contemporary times.

Ishiguro who became the 114th winner of one of the most coveted awards in the field of literature, followed in the footsteps of the likes of Toni Morrison and Pablo Neruda.

We take a look at a few quotes by the author from his books which perfectly encaspulate his writing prowess, leaving readers mesmerised.

• “There was another life that I might have had, but I am having this one.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro
• “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.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
• “If you are under the impression you have already perfected yourself, you will never rise to the heights you are no doubt capable of.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day
• “I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it's just too much. The current's too strong. They've got to let go, drift apart. That's how it is with us. It's a shame, Kath, because we've loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can't stay together forever.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
• “But then again I wonder if what we feel in our hearts today isn't like these raindrops still falling on us from the soaked leaves above, even though the sky itself long stopped raining. I'm wondering if without our memories, there's nothing for it but for our love to fade and die.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, The Buried Giant
• “I do not think I responded immediately, for it took me a moment or two to fully digest these words of Miss Kenton. Moreover, as you might appreciate, their implications were such as to provoke a certain degree of sorrow within me. Indeed- why should I not admit it? - at that moment, my heart was breaking.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day
• “We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
• “Perhaps there are those who are able to go about their lives unfettered by such concerns. But for those like us, our fate is to face the world as orphans, chasing through long years the shadows of vanished parents. There is nothing for it but to try and see through our missions to the end, as best we can, for until we do so, we will be permitted no calm.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, When We Were Orphans
• “What I'm not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
• “I half closed my eyes and imagined this was the spot where everything I'd ever lost since my childhood had washed up, and I was now standing here in front of it, and if I waited long enough, a tiny figure would appear on the horizon across the field and gradually get larger until I'd see it was Tommy, and he'd wave, and maybe even call.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
• “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.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
• “Indeed — why should I not admit it? — in that moment, my heart was breaking.” ― Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day