Hayao Miyazaki is probably the most famous name in the anime industry. He’s known for being an innovator and a pioneer. It’s impossible to talk about him without talking about the impact he’s had on popularizing the art of Japanese animation overseas.
He’s the proud co-founder and face of Studio Ghibli — the only animation studio to consistently make movies that people actually crave watching. Miyazaki’s films have been around since the 1960s, but he didn’t get his big break until 1988, when My Neighbor Totoro was released. After that, it was just one hit after another. He helped spread anime culture globally, but he also crafted some truly incredible films like Spirited Away (which won an Oscar), Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and Ponyo.
Fans of Japanese animation all over the world were saddened to learn of his retirement in 2014, but it seems his passion for writing unique stories couldn’t be silenced for too long. In 2017, he came out of retirement to work on a new movie, How Do You Live?, which still doesn’t have a confirmed release date.
But Miyazaki doesn’t just make movies; he’s an incredible storyteller, and interviews and behind-the-scenes reveal some significant insights on animation and his views on life and the world. And that’s why we’re here today: to share some of our favorite quotes from one of Japan’s greatest minds! The following are some of the best Hayao Miyazaki quotes that will inspire you to live your life with passion and purpose and let you get to know Miyazaki better.
#41
"Children understand intuitively that the world they have been born into is not a blessed world."
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#42
"Is someone different at age 18 or 60? I believe one stays the same."
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#43
"Young people are surrounded by virtual things. Animators can only draw from their own experiences of pain and shock and emotions."
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#44
"My process is thinking, thinking and thinking—thinking about my stories for a long time."
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#45
"I do believe in the power of story. I believe that stories have an important role to play in the formation of human beings, that they can stimulate, amaze, and inspire their listeners."
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#46
"Whenever someone creates something with all of their heart, then that creation is given a soul."
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#47
"Today, all of humanity’s dreams are cursed somehow. Beautiful yet cursed dreams."
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#48
"Almost all Japanese animation is produced with hardly any basis taken from observing real people, you know. It’s produced by humans who can’t stand looking at other humans. And that’s why the industry is full of otaku!"
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#49
"We get strength and encouragement from watching children."
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#50
"It would be wonderful if I could see the end of civilization during my lifetime."
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#51
"The concept of portraying evil and then destroying it – I know this is considered mainstream, but I think it is rotten. This idea that whenever something evil happens someone particular can be blamed and punished for it, in life and in politics is hopeless."
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#52
"What you mean by ‘peace’ is nothing more than the endless repetition of human folly."
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#53
"I'd like more of the world go back to being wild."
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#54
"There has never been a work of art created which didn’t somehow reflect its own time."
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#55
"All my films are all my children."
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#56
"I get inspiration from my everyday life."
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#57
"I am an animator. I feel like I’m the manager of an animation cinema factory. I am not an executive. I’m rather like a foreman, like the boss of a team of craftsmen. That is the spirit of how I work."
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#58
"It is the fate of modern life that we repeatedly lose touch with: nature, the environment, the planet. But we try to regain it again and again. It’s like a circle. In children’s hearts and souls when they’re born into the world, nature already exists deep inside them. So what I want to do in my work is tap into their souls."
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#59
"I’m not going to make movies that tell children, 'You should despair and run away.'"
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#60
"I believe that fantasy in the meaning of imagination is very important. We shouldn’t stick too close to everyday reality but give room to the reality of the heart, of the mind, and of the imagination."
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