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 IshiguroRead
I have the feeling of this completely alternative person I should have become. There was another life that I might have had, but I’m having this one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the concept of alternate lives and the choices that shape our existence.
Kazuo Ishiguro's quote articulates the universal feeling of pondering the road not taken and the alternative versions of ourselves that could have emerged from different choices. It suggests that while we may envision different possibilities for our lives, we must ultimately embrace the life we are living, acknowledging both our regrets and our experiences as integral to who we are.
Themes
ChoicesAlternativeLifeRegretExistence
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational talk about life choices.
More from Kazuo Ishiguro
All quotes →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.
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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 IshiguroRead
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 IshiguroRead
If you were a boy and a girl and you were in love with each other, really, properly in love, and if you could show it, then the people who run Hailsham, they sorted it out for you. They sorted it out so you could have a few years together before you began your donations.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
We all live inside bodies that will deteriorate. But when you look at human beings, they're capable of very decent things: love, loyalty. When time is running out, they don't care about possessions or status. They want to put things right if they've done wrong.
Kazuo IshiguroRead
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