A collection of quotes from people of the past: messages from famous military commanders and great figures of the world.
Famous Japanese military commanders and world-renowned great figures have left behind many memorable quotes over the course of long history.
In this article, we’ll introduce quotes from such figures of the past!
Among the sayings they left us are words that inspire people living today, expressions that convey stern strength, and insights that can serve as hints when taking action—each filled with various sentiments.
When you’re unsure about something in life or facing a moment that makes you feel like giving up, please take a look at the quotes we introduce.
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Collection of quotes from people of the past: Messages from famous military commanders and world-renowned great figures (31–40)
He who fails to prepare is preparing to fail.Benjamin Franklin
This is a famous quote by Benjamin Franklin—remembered as a Founding Father in the United States—about the importance of preparation.
It’s a saying that corrects the attitude of those who neglect to prepare, conveying that failing to prepare sets the stage for failure.
By deliberately expressing in a roundabout way that preparation is essential to avoid failure, it even evokes a sense of fear about failing.
The words also suggest that, to prevent all kinds of failures, it’s important to prepare broadly and thoroughly.
Beneath mud and earth lies solid rock; above clouds and mist shines the sun. At the height of discontent, there is still fortune, nor is hope absent.Kanzo Uchimura
I would like to introduce a famous saying by Kanzo Uchimura: “Beneath the mud lies bedrock; above the clouds and mist shines the sun.
Even at the height of complaint, happiness and hope are not absent.” Kanzo Uchimura was a Christian thinker active in the Meiji era.
Disasters can bring many hardships.
At such times, Uchimura left words he hoped we would remember.
It is said to mean that even when times are painful and difficult now, a stable and bright future surely awaits beyond.
He likens difficult situations to mud, and the bedrock represents the strength within us that lies beneath these serious problems.
Furthermore, he tells us that even when we feel or voice complaints, happiness and hope still exist.
Life brings all kinds of experiences, doesn’t it? Even so, we are reminded of the importance of maintaining a positive outlook.
Nature is an impartial and merciless enemy. Society is an unjust enemy with human sentiment.Soseki Natsume
Let me introduce a famous quote by Natsume Sōseki: “Nature is a fair yet ruthless enemy.
Society is an unjust yet compassionate enemy.” Natsume Sōseki was a Japanese novelist and scholar of English literature.
His major works include I Am a Cat, Botchan, Sanshirō, And Then, Kokoro, and Light and Darkness.
This line—“Nature is a fair yet ruthless enemy.
Society is an unjust yet compassionate enemy.”—appears in his work Reminiscences.
It’s a quote that encourages us not to underestimate nature and to prepare for natural disasters.
Natural disasters strike when we least expect them.Torahiko Terada
Here is a famous and important saying by Torahiko Terada: “Natural disasters strike when they have been forgotten.” Terada was a Japanese physicist, essayist, and haiku poet.
As a researcher, he was interested in disasters such as fires and earthquakes, and it is said that after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, he became even more deeply engaged with the subject.
This quote reminds us that the peaceful passing of everyday life without incident is not something to be taken for granted.
It is a phrase worth engraving in our hearts.
Earthquakes will strike again and again. To prevent severe damage, we will build parks and roads.Shinpei Gotō
I would like to introduce a famous quote left by Shinpei Goto: “Earthquakes will come again and again.
To prevent great damage, we must build parks and roads.” From this saying, one can sense his conviction to protect human life.
Shinpei Goto devoted himself to the reconstruction after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, making present-day Tokyo a city resilient to disasters.
Immediately after the earthquake, he became Minister of Home Affairs and then Minister for Reconstruction to rebuild Tokyo, which had suffered immense damage.
Along with the quote, he conceived reconstruction measures, but at the time he faced criticism from those around him.
It is said that enormous funds were required to put them into action, and landowners opposed the purchase of tracts that had been reduced to burned-out fields by the quake.
Although his budget was cut, Goto poured his efforts into building a disaster-resilient city.
Thanks to those efforts, Tokyo became stronger against earthquakes than it had been in the past.
Prepare pessimistically, act optimistically.Kazuo Inamori
Let me introduce a famous quote left by Kazuo Inamori: “Prepare pessimistically, act optimistically.” Kazuo Inamori was a Japanese entrepreneur and engineer.
He founded Kyocera and Daini Denden, which is now KDDI, and served as chairman of the Inamori Foundation, a public-interest incorporated foundation.
He was also honorary chairman of Japan Airlines.
In the planning stage, with a strong will that says, “No matter what, we must accomplish this,” one should reexamine the plan with a pessimistic eye; then, in the execution stage, with the confidence that “We can definitely do it,” one should carry it out optimistically—brightly and with dignity.
Doesn’t this conviction also apply to disaster preparedness?
Napoleon slept only three hours a night. There’s no reason I can’t accomplish what he could through effort.Hideyo Noguchi
These words express a strong resolve not to set limits on one’s effort.
Even great figures achieved success through extraordinary, sustained effort, and there is no reason we cannot do the same—this is the determination embedded here.
Of course, not everyone needs to push themselves on short sleep, but when you feel tempted to slack off, recalling this saying will naturally sharpen your focus.
Effort matters more than talent, and you can accumulate as much of it as you choose.
It’s a quote that gives you the power to go beyond your limits.
Only by living desperately does one’s life shine.Oda Nobunaga
Lord Oda Nobunaga, a warlord counted among the Three Unifiers of the Sengoku period for his innovative political methods.
From his famous saying, “It is only by living desperately that one’s life shines,” we can truly sense the very essence of Oda Nobunaga’s life.
Not only should we act energetically with dreams and goals, but it is by throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into the act of living itself that our lives gain profound meaning.
This message teaches us that such a way of living becomes the proof that we truly lived and allows us to create a life uniquely our own, unlike anyone else’s.
You should never deal properly with someone who isn’t acting properly.Date Masamune
This one line left by Masamune Date, the charismatic warlord of the Sengoku era—“There’s no point dealing earnestly with someone who isn’t earnest”—is simple yet deeply piercing.
Put in modern terms, it sounds like advice: “Being overly serious with them is just exhausting.” If you treat someone politely when reason won’t get through to them, it only wears down your nerves.
That’s why it’s important to keep your distance, let things slide, or sometimes just ignore it.
It’s a line that sums up a survival skill Masamune reached precisely because he lived through the warring states.
It’s so cool-headed and satisfying, you can’t help but smirk.
The heart never strays from the Way.Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi, an early Edo-period swordsman also known for leaving behind the martial arts treatise The Book of Five Rings.
The famous saying “Keep your mind always on the Way” expresses the conviction of Musashi, who devoted his life to the way of the sword.
If you have a great dream, goal, or belief of your own, you should understand the importance of an unwavering heart that does not stray from your path no matter what happens—something anyone aiming for an endless ideal can appreciate.
It’s a message to recall when you’re tempted to take the easy way out, and one I hope you’ll engrave in your heart as a personal motto.