Quotes from Y?ko Ogawa

The rays of the setting sun stretched far into the room. Root traced the circles around the twin primes as the steam from the rice cooker floated in from the kitchen. The Professor stared through the window as if he were looking out at the desert, though all he could really see was his tiny, neglected garden.

La expresión de sus rostros, sin embargo no reflejaba angustia. Sus miradas se alzaban hasta algún punto del horizonte y sus ojos se mostraban tan serenos como la lisa superficie de una laguna perdida en el corazón del bosque, bajo la cual se oculta una multitud de recuerdos secretos.

His ironing seemed highly rational, with a constant speed that allowed him to get the best results, with the least effort; all the economy and elegance of his mathematical proofs performed right there on the ironing board. The Professor was definitely the best man for this job, we had to admit, since the tablecloth was made of delicate lace.

When they were gone, a calm fell as though the air itself were breathing with infinite care. The owners turned for home, empty cages in hand. And that was how the birds disappeared.

It must feel much like a typewriter key falling back into place after rising for a moment to strike the page.

goes on like this and we can't compensate for the things that get lost, the island will soon be nothing but absences and holes, and when it's completely hollowed out, we'll all disappear without a trace. Don't you ever feel that way?

And what will happen if words disappear?

A problem has a rhythm of its own, just like a piece of music," the professor said. "Once you get the rhythm, you get the sense of the problem as a whole, and you can see where the traps might be waiting.

Your voice is trapped inside this machine. It's not broken, it's just been sealed off now that it no longer has a purpose.

My memories don't feel as though they've been pulled up by the root. Even if they fade, something remains. Like tiny seeds that might germinate again if the rain falls. And even if a memory disappears completely, the heart retains something. A slight tremor or pain

The gentle patter of the rain was punctuated by the scratching of pencil on paper.

and he seemed convinced that children's questions were much more important than those of an adult. He preferred smart questions to smart answers.

he had discovered the natural connection between numbers that seemed completely unrelated.

Life isn't going to be easier, nor is anyone going to make a fortune, just because they know something about prime numbers.

The order had come in a coarse pale purple envelope.

You'll see for yourself. Something will disappear from your life.

It became more difficult to breathe. I looked around. My body was now included among the objects arranged on the floor. I lay there between the music box and the harmonica, my two legs protruding at odd angles, my hands crossed on my chest, my eyes lowered. In the same way he had wound the spring on the music box or blown into the harmonica, I imagined R would now caress my body in order to call forth memories.

No era una vergüenza el no saber, sino solo una señal que podía llevar hacia una nueva verdad.

And what will happen if words disappear? I whispered to myself, afraid that if I said it too loudly, it might come true.

I stood in the middle of that emptiness, feeling myself on the verge of being drawn into its terrible depth

children were the foundation of everything worthwhile in the adult world.

When I stand here in front of the cabinet, my heart feels like a silkworm slumbering in its cocoon.

Wie sehr wir uns auch bemühten, den anderen zu verstehen, es gab immer etwas, das sich unserem Verständnis entzog. Und je mehr wir darüber redeten, desto deprimierender wurde es.

The truly correct proof is one that strikes a harmonious balance between strength and flexibility. There are plenty of proofs that are technically correct but are messy and inelegant or counterintuitive. But it's not something you can put into words—explaining why a formula is beautiful is like trying to explain why the stars are beautiful.