This was my second read-through of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, and on this latest go-round I focused my attention on picking out Murakami’s wisdom (there is a lot of it). I had initially read this as a sort of memoir, which it is, but it is also a book about intentions, and where they come from. In a lot of ways it’s as much a how-to (develop a habit, ignore external criticism, persevere towards a goal) as it is a memoir. And, surprisingly enough, it is both focused on running and not about it at all.
Similar to my post on The War of Art, I’ve decided to just document below all of my highlights from the book:
[When writing a novel] I stop every day right at the point where I feel I can write more. Do that and the next day’s work goes surprisingly smoothly – p.5
What’s crucial is whether your writing attains the standards you’ve set for yourself. Failure to reach that bar is not something you can easily explain away – p.10
I can see that during my twenties my worldview changed, and I matured. By sticking my nose into all sorts of places, I acquired the practical skills I needed to live. Without those ten tough years I don’t think I would have written novels, and even if I’d tried, I wouldn’t have been able to – p. 16
Before I began writing, I dutifully, even enthusiastically, absorbed a variety of experiences – p.30
We [Murakami & his wife] decided we’d go to bed as soon as it got dark, and wake up with the sun. To our minds this was natural, the kind of life respectable people lived. We’d closed the club, so we also decided that from now on we’d meet with only the people we wanted to see and, as much as possible, get by not seeing those we didn’t – p.36
I’m struck by how, except when you’re young, you really need to prioritize in life, figuring out in what order you should divide up your time and energy. If you don’t get that sort of system in place by a certain age, you’ll lack focus and your life will be out of balance – p.37
So, like my three meals a day – along with sleeping, housework, and work – running was incorporated into my daily routine. As it became a natural habit, I felt less embarrassed about it – p.39
If some people have an interest in long-distance running, just leave them be, and they’ll start running on their own. If they’re not interested in it, no amount of persuasion will make any difference – p.45
There are three reasons I failed. Not enough training. Not enough training. And not enough training… It’s pretty thin, the wall separating healthy confidence and unhealthy pride – p.54
Running every day is a kind of lifeline for me, so I’m not going to lay off or quit just because I’m busy – p.73
Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that – p.83
Speaking in English is definitely not my forte. But that makes me feel all the more comfortable giving a speech. I just think, It’s a foreign language, so what’re you going to do? This was a fascinating discovery for me – p.101
What I ended up with was a sense of lethargy, and before I knew it, I felt covered by a thin film, something I’ve since dubbed runner’s blues… After this ultramarathon I lost the enthusiasm I’d always had for the act of running itself – p.117
At certain points in our lives, when we really need a clear-cut solution, the person who knocks at our door is, more likely than not, a messenger bearing bad news – p.144
One day, out of the blue, I wanted to write a novel. And one day, out of the blue, I started to run – simply because I wanted to. I’ve always done whatever I felt like doing in life – p. 150
And once more I’m struck by how pitiful and pointless this little container called me is, what a lame, shabby being I am. I feel like everything I’ve ever done in life has been a total waste – p.153
It doesn’t matter how old I get, but as long as I continue to live I’ll always discover something new about myself. No matter how long you stand there examining yourself naked before a mirror, you’ll never see reflected what’s inside – p.163
Maybe it’s some pointless act like… pouring water into an old pan that has a hole in the bottom, but at least the effort you put into it remains. Whether it’s good for anything or not, cool or totally uncool, in the final analysis what’s most important is what you can’t see but can feel in your heart – p.172
One by one, I’ll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the same time taking a long-range view, scanning the scenery as far ahead as I can. I am, after all, a long-distance runner – p.173