"I have lost my seven best friends, which is to say God has had mercy on me seven times without realizing it. He lent a friendship, took it from me, sent me another."

"Everything one does in life, even love, occurs in an express train racing toward death. To smoke opium is to get out of the train while it is still moving. It is to concern oneself with something other than life or death."

"The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth."

"I believe in luck: how else can you explain the success of those you dislike?"

"Singularity is almost invariably a clue. The more featureless and commonplace a crime is, the more difficult is it to bring it home."

"It is a essential truth that fear will knock at every door; only those with resolved hearts refuse to let it enter."

"What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?"

"When you look at Japanese traditional architecture, you have to look at Japanese culture and its relationship with nature. You can actually live in a harmonious, close contact with nature - this very unique to Japan."