“Reiko had not kept a diary and was now denied the pleasure of assiduously rereading her record of the happiness of the past few months and consigning each page to the fire as she did so.- Death in Midsummer and Other Stories”

“With the last months spent preparing to face this darkness, it was improbable that the end of her story would be a happy one. She had considered death, maybe even accepted it, at times even wished for it. But no matter how many times she had thought it over, no matter the circumstances, it didn’t matter to her now.”

“Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can.”

“The stories she'd read of others' lives over these last few months had left her with a greater appreciation for the thread of her own life.”

“So hot the pages should be on fire! [on Pleasures of the Night ]”

“She also told me it wore down her spirit to live in the desert landscape that was parched by midsummer, to plant a garden each spring and struggle to keep it alive past July.”