At no time are we ever in such complete possession of a journey, down to its last nook and cranny, as when we are busy with preparations for it.

To Ryuji the smile seemed as brittle as fine glass crystal and very dangerous

An ugliness unfurled in the moonlight and soft shadow and suffused the whole world. If I were an amoeba, he thought, with an infinitesimal body, I could defeat ugliness. A man isn’t tiny or giant enough to defeat anything.

Il dolore genuino può maturare soltanto a grado a grado. Somiglia strettamente alla tubercolosi, in quanto il male è già progredito e ha raggiunto lo stadio critico prima che il paziente si sia reso conto dei suoi sintomi.

...повседневная жизнь полна мелких постоянных забот.

Might it have been nothing but life itself? Life; this limitless complex sea, filled with assorted flotsam, brimming with capricious, violent, and yet eternally transparent blues and greens.