Best 18 quotes of Kazuki Kaneshiro on MyQuotes

A comparison between the mitochondrial DNA sequences of the Ainu descended from the Jomon people and the indigenous people of the Andes showed them to be basically the same. Isn't that amazing? If you count the distance from Africa, that's a journey of fifteen thousand miles. And you know what? I don't believe that a power struggle or the declining environment was what pushed them to travel all that way. They just had to see what kind of place the edge of the earth was. I'm sure of it. And the genes encoded with this ridiculously simple impulse remained no matter how many generations passed. Besides, humans never had it in them to settle in one place. And then something called agriculture was invented--' 'So what are you trying to say Sugihara?' asked Sakurai, a gentle smile floating across her lips. 'What I'm trying to say,' I said, looking her in the eyes, 'is that they're really cool, and I want to be like them.' Her smile grew wider as she said, 'You're just trying to impress me, right?' I nodded earnestly.

And that's how I quit being a North Korean resident of Japan, busted out of the tiny confines of Korean school, and dove into the "wide world." That decision, it turned out, came with some.... challenges.

A tree that is unbending is easily broken in a powerful storm. But not grass.” Scratching the scar at the corner of one eye he added , “Or so says some guy named Lao Tzu.

Finally, she let out a long, long breath and said, 'You know so much about so many things. But this isn't about any of that. I get what you're trying to say intellectually, but I can't. I'm scared. When I think about you entering my body, I'm scared.

He had a serious look on his face. Our eyes met. 'No soy coreano, ni japonés, soy un nómada desarraigado,' he muttered. 'Huh?' 'It's Spanish. I always wanted to be a Spaniard.' I didn't reply. 'But it didn't work out. Turns out, it wasn't just about speaking the language.' 'Language has everything to do with your identity--' 'In theory maybe,' he said, cutting me off. 'But we live in circumstances that can't always be explained away by logic. You'll understand someday.

I'd become convince that as long as there are immigrants and refugees in this world, the Godfather movies will live on. When I stressed this to Sakurai, she said, smiling, 'I don't know if I understand completely, but I know that you really love The Godfather, Sugihara.

If I had been born in America, I'd be called Korean-American and would have all the rights accorded to an American citizen. I'd be treated like I was human. But this country is different. If I become a model person, more so than any Japanese, I still wouldn't be treated like a proper human as long as I have Korean citizenship. The way a sumo wrestler can't become a stable master while he still has foreign citizenship. Assimilation or exclusion. There are only two choices in this country.

I should've told him that when I'd had a knife pulled on me for the first time, I ran faster than Carl Lewis. That the only people who survive in this world are cowards. And that true heroes are destined to die young. That the world needed him, so if anyone pulled a knife on him , he had to run faster than a speeding bullet.

I was called an 'ethnic traitor' and kicked in the pit of the stomach, then called a 'sellout' and stuck across the face again. I really couldn't understand what the last one meant. I knew the literal meaning of the word, of course, but I just couldn't bring myself to think that I was a sellout. I could sense the incongruity of the label but didn't have words to express it. Then someone who was able to say exactly what I was feeling appeared, like a superhero. A voice rose up from the back of the classroom. "We've never belonged to a country we could sell out

Nationality isn’t much more than a lease to an apartment, ” I said. “If you don’t like the apartment anymore, you break the lease and get out.

Not a bad thing to know something about darkness. You can’t talk about light without some knowledge of darkness. Like your buddy Nietzsche said, 'He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Sure, my father's cheesy performance had something to do with it, but that wasn't the only reason. I had grown up trapped in an environment over which I had no control, but now I had been given a choice. North Korea or South Korea? As horribly limiting as my options were, the choice was mine to make. I felt as if I was being treated like a human with rights for the first time in my life.

Take a good look at the wide world,' he said. 'You decide the rest.

The way Sakuri and I looked at art was a contrast in styles. I stopped and studied each and every painting. Sakuri, seemingly knowing her likes and dislikes at first glance, stood rapt in front of paintings she liked and blew right past the ones she didn't. It was all so clear-cut and refreshing. I decided to do the same.

Though I may have been a misfit, I was also a romantic.

We didn't want to be bullies, so we decided to forgive and forget and put an end to our attacks.

We never belonged to a country we could sell out.' By the time Jeong-il made that declaration, he had achieved perfect grades and attendance for eight years running, could correctly pronounce 'certainly' in English, explain the present perfect tense, and read and write cursive letters. Not to mention he had never shoplifted, shaken anyone down for money, or gotten in a fistfight. He avoided people altogether. Jeong-il was always alone. Even the teachers didn't know how to relate to him. None of my other friends tried to get to know him either.

Who cares? If you people want to call me Zainichi, go ahead! You Japanese are scared of me. Can't feel safe unless you categorize and label it, right? But you're wrong. You know what-- I'm a lion. A lion has no idea he's a lion. It's just a random name that you people gave him so you can feel like you know all about him. See what happens when you try to get closer, calling my name. I'll pounce on your carotid artery and tear you to shreds. You understand? As long as you call me Zainichi, you're always going to be my victim. I'm not Zainichi or South Korean or North Korean or Mongoloid. Quit forcing me into those narrow categories. I'm me! Wait, I don't even want to be me anymore. I want to be free from having to be me. I'll go anywhere to find whatever thing will let me forget who I am. And if that thing isn't here. I'll get out of this country, which is what you wanted anyway. You can't do that, can you? No, you'll all die, tied down by your ideas about country, land, titles, customs, traditions, and culture. Well, that's too bad. I never had any of that stuff, so I'm free to go anywhere! Jealous? Say you're jealous! Damn it, what am I saying? Damn it, damn it....