Anime Quotes About Life, Art, and Meaning That Have Stuck With Me
I’ve collected quotes for as long as I can remember. In fact, I remember the moment I thought it would be useful to try to write down some of the quotes that resonated with me in a notebook—I was inventing a commonplace book from first principles. (One of my writing instructors was a religious commonplace book user; perhaps I’ll try to incorporate some of those ideas into my journaling a bit more.) Now, I still jot down quotes in my pocket notebook, but I’ve got a larger digital archive of quotes spread across my Obsidian notes and Readwise, which catalogues everything I’ve highlighted from literature and beyond.
I guess my interest in quotes is no surprise, as someone who’s obsessed with books, words, with language; and what we can teach ourselves about ourselves. I'm fascinated by lines that immediately convey something, regardless of context, and those that don't work without the surrounding information. I'm fascinated by attributing quotes to authors instead of characters (Some of the quotes I see from "Murakami" most often are quotes from his shittiest characters!)
A quote can be simply a beautiful line, a Proustian callback to a moment engaging with a formative work, or illuminate something enduring about the human experience. Not all good quotes are Live-Laugh-Love garbage you'd stick on your kitchen wall, or "morning inspiration." And good quotes don’t have to come from literature. I find anime as rich a medium as writing, so it makes sense that I’ve started to collect lines that stuck with me from here, too.
Lately, I’m trying to pull together some of my beliefs or guiding principles into a more tangible framework, including hopefully a motto, so I’ve been looking through my quotes archive, trying to see what still resonates. Here, I thought I’d list out some of the lines that have stuck with me, give a brief take on their context and what they mean—for myself as much as anyone else.
Nichijou
Mio Naganohara, Nichijou
「“何が起こるか分からない” “だから面白い” “それが野球”ってね。」
"You never know what's going to happen. That's why it's interesting; that's baseball, right?"
— Mio Naganohara, Nichijou , S01E26
If I’ve got a quote that illustrates my personal philosophy, it’s this. I’ve said it before, but this is a scene from Nichijou I can’t watch without crying. Nichijou follows a group of high school girls through their daily lives, told in a series of vignettes that are some mix of absurd, mundane, hilarious, and poignant. In one of the most poignant examples, Mio sees the boy she has a crush on walking with another girl, and in a panic runs out of the school and across the town. Her friend Yuuko chases after her, and once she's caught up, Mio repeats a piece of wisdom Yuuko had told her earlier that I think summarizes not only this scene but Nichijou’s (and my) worldview.
It can be easy to feel beaten down by life. All of us have felt stuck in a rut, like things just aren’t going our way. But all it takes is one small moment for me to realize life is beautiful and strange in equal measure. Nichijou isn't amazing to me because it's so much richer and more interesting than real life–it's because it's exactly how real life feels to me.
That’s part of what makes baseball so beautiful, too. On any given day, the weakest team can beat the strongest, and the outcome is never set. You truly never know what’s going to happen, and it’s that quality that gives life (and baseball!) meaning. You just have to be ready to receive what it’s got to offer you.
Kaijuu no. 8
Kafka Hibino, Kaijuu no. 8
「諦めるかどうか決めるのは俺自身だ。」
“I'm the one who decides if I give up or not.”
— Kafka Hibino, Kaijuu no. 8 , S01E04
Kaijuu no. 8 is a fairly standard shonen anime: kaijuu are threatening Japan, and a defense force is put together to fend them off. While there are stupid and bad parts of this series (it is at times vaguely fascist, imo), I went in expecting garbage, and was pleasantly surprised to find a series that’s a lot more inspirational than I expected.
Kafka, the protagonist, is in his 30s at a dead-end job and about to give up on his dream of joining the defense force, when he decides to give it a final shot alongside his new coworker, Reno. Of course, the road to joining the defense force is a journey filled with trials and tribulations. During the entrance exam, he’s assessed as having nearly no potential, and gets seriously injured during a combat trial. The proctor suggests he resigns before things get worse. Kafka thinks about his goal, all the struggles he faced, and the prospect of throwing it all away before he breaks out this iconic line.
Whether you’re applying for the elite monster fighting force or simply trying to get through the day, we each have our own challenges. At times, we feel like we’ve lost, like it’s hopeless, like we’d be better giving up. But most of the time, the person who decides when you’re finished is you. Just because something feels hopeless doesn’t mean it is, and just because you feel like you’re at your limit doesn’t mean there isn’t more you can do. It's a big part of the reason I love going to the gym, going for a run: just when I think I can't go any further, I prove to myself I can. I strive to push myself to reach the goals I’ve set for myself, and a big part of that is simply not giving up, even when it feels hardest not to.
Shoshimin
Hiya Yuto, Shoshimin Series
「時に強引にっていうか 強さを見せるべきだと思うよ。」 「強さ？」 「そう。 自分はこうしたい こう思ってほしいっていう強さ。」
"I think you need to be assertive. Or rather, you should show some strength." "Strength?" "Yeah. Strength in knowing what you want, and how you want her to feel."
— Hiya Yuto, Shoshimin Series , S02E02
Minor spoilers for Shoshimin follow—if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend coming back to read this one later!
Here’s one that makes sense only in context! Shoshimin is from the same author as Hyouka , and the two series share a lot in common. Both are mysteries with a high schooler cast, though how they go about their mysteries are quite different. The protagonists in Shoshimin are Kobato and Osanai, a boy and a girl that are too clever for their own good. To avoid getting in trouble from their busybodying, they promise to keep each other honest and live normal, respectable lives. Suffice to say, they don’t. But following the often-inscrutable pair is fascinating. The first season of Shoshimin dragged on me a bit in the middle, as it’s a bit more mundane than even Hyouka ; but the end of the first season and the entire second season kicked it into high gear.
The second season introduces Urino, a member of the newspaper club who’s trying to track down the perpetrator of a string of escalating arsons, and dating the elusive Osanai. In this scene, he's venting to a friend that despite dating Osanai for six months, she’s still quite distant, and they haven’t even held hands. His friend Hiya suggests being more direct with her. Generally, I agree with the sentiment. I think there’s something to being honest about your feelings, what you want, and working towards that.
And yet! Of course, this can easily be taken the wrong way, or too far, and unfortunately Urino does. Urino eventually tries to kiss Osanai without her consent, causing the vindictive Osanai to eventually not just break off the relationship, but seek retribution...
Ao no Hako
Karen Nanami, Ao no Hako
「みんな いろいろ考え過ぎだよ。相手がどう思うか考えることはいいことだと思うけど、それって結局のところ、猪股君の考えるちーの考えなんだから。時には あえて何も考えないことも大切なのよ。」
“Everyone overthinks things. I think it's good to think about what others are thinking, but in the end, you're just guessing. Sometimes it's important to not even think about anything.”
— Karen Nanami, Ao no Hako ,__ S01E13
Ao no Hako , my beloved. I fell in love with this romance / sports series as hard as Taiki falls for Chinatsu, the ace of the basketball team who’s one year his senior. Here, he’s talking to one of Chinatsu’s best friends, Karen, about his fear of telling her how he feels and asking her out; what if she rejects him, won’t that make things awkward? Karen astutely notes that not only is a little weird that he's holding these back, but he's projecting his own feelings onto Chinatsu.
Karen’s advice here is quite wise, I think. It’s important to think about what others are thinking, what expectations they have. This is something I continue to work on, and probably always will. Yet I can’t know another person’s mind or feelings—even if they tell me! This certainly doesn’t mean to ignore how others are feeling, but to be aware of your own limited understanding. At the end of the day, we’re all just guessing.
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Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru
Licia Pleide, Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru
「交渉ってのは言葉だけでやるもんじゃない。テーブルに着く前からもう始まっているんだよ」
“Negotiation is not just about words. It starts before you ever even reach the table.”
— Licia Pleide, Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru , S02E14
Beyond isekai, I am a sucker for any anime that involves deception, political maneuvering, Machiavellianism, etc. Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru checks both of these boxes, and while it has its fair share of weak points, I still found it to be an enjoyable watch. Ars is a noble in a minor domain, which of course gains much more importance than expected. But he is a child, and not one particularly skilled in any field. Rather than his own abilities, he has an exceptional eye for talent, and through the use of his appraisal skill, is able to surround himself with dozens of geniuses of various talents.
Here, he's been tasked with negotiating support from a neighboring territory, and asked his diplomatically-skilled wife to negotiate in his stead, and she delivers this thoughtful line. While I haven’t had to negotiate to expand my domain before, I have had to negotiate raises, for help from bureaucratic agencies, and compromises among friends and acquaintances. In a certain sense, much of life is a negotiation.
As you might guess, I often focus on the words. But as Alan Watts would tell you, the words are just a layer on something greater. The words are important; I won’t say they’re not! But ultimately they are at most a component of a larger context. What mood is your partner in? What do they want? What do they expect? What’s going on? There are any number of questions or variables that work into any interaction. If you get stuck on the words, you might lose sight of something more important.
22/7
Nicole Saito, 22/7
「恵まれてるなら 精一杯味わえばいいわ」
“If we are to be blessed with riches, we ought to drink as deeply as possible.”
— Nicole Saito, 22/7 , S01E10
I love that this is from an idol anime—though it’s quite a weird one. The girls that form the group 22/7 are selected and guided by “The Wall”; like Olmec from Legends of the Hidden Temple decided to enter showbusiness. The girls aren’t really given a say in the actions of the group, and when offered a suggestive photoshoot for a magazine, they understandably bristle.
Nicole is quite mercenary, and that’s on full display here. The translator is doing a lot of work on this; to my ears, the original Japanese is not quite as evocative—in translation it sounds almost biblical.
How can you find the best out of any situation? There’s nothing wrong with resting, with wandering, exploring, with finding what fits you. But at the same time, we’ve got one life to live. If you want to achieve something, why wait? No one else can get it for you. It’s on you to take hold of what you’ve been given and make the most of it.
Okay, let’s call it there. I could keep going—really, I could—but this has gone on long enough.
From lines I hold as key to my own worldview, to things I simply think are interesting; from series that I consider some of the best of all time, to misfires that have oddly lingered with me, the world of anime is wide and deep. Like books, anime is not just entertainment, it can help teach us how to live.
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