It’s sure to resonate most with those who are striving! Words of encouragement from great figures and famous people.
Whether you’re a student focusing on studies or club activities, or a working adult juggling a job or childcare, everyone has something they’re striving for at every stage of life.
Even if you’re fine when you’re fully absorbed, there may be moments when your spirits suddenly drop or you start feeling negative.
So this time, we’ve compiled a list of encouraging words from the famous sayings of great and notable figures.
These are all words that make you feel like trying again, so we hope you’ll remember them when you feel like your heart is about to break.
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- To my present self! Memorable, uplifting words and the source of courage to change myself
- Knowing this will surely ease your heart… Comforting words from great and famous people.
- Powerful words give you a push! Words that help you try even harder than before.
It should resonate all the more with those who are striving! Words of encouragement from great and famous figures (11–20)
What matters is not practice, but the passion for practice.Pelé
Which is better: practicing just because you’re vaguely told to, or practicing hard with a clear goal in mind? Pelé, called the King of Soccer and admired by players and fans around the world—he captivated so many people precisely because, true to these words, he kept practicing tirelessly with passion, scored countless goals, and became a beloved figure worldwide.
Spending time on practice is sometimes important, but even more important, he teaches us, is approaching practice with your heart fully invested and your soul in it.
Impossible is not a fact, but an opinion.Muhammad Ali
These are words that seem to embody the relentless drive toward results, spoken by the champion Muhammad Ali, a legend in the world of boxing.
They convey the idea that “impossible” stems from preconceptions and weakness of will, and that if we keep a spirit of challenge, anything can be transformed into the possible.
By refusing to set limits and continuing to face challenges, anything becomes achievable, leading to great outcomes.
They are powerful words that evoke an attitude of fighting on without excuses and the strength of will to keep doing so.
There is no escape from effort. Love effort.Roger Federer
These are words from Roger Federer, a legend in the tennis world, expressing how we should face hard work.
Hard work is painful, but if you run from it, you won’t get results—you need to confront it with resolve.
He also conveys that not just resolve, but learning to love and enjoy the effort can lead to even greater achievements.
If you can see it not as an ordeal but as something enjoyable, you’ll likely keep moving forward toward results without giving up.
Believe in the 1% chance, believe in yourself, and believe in what you’ve done.Yuto Horigome
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, skateboarder Yuto Horigome competed in the men’s final.
He put up a high score in his first run, but fell in his second and couldn’t improve his total.
Meanwhile, a strong American contender posted a big score, and Horigome entered his fifth and final attempt in provisional seventh place.
By landing a high-difficulty trick, he pulled off a brilliant comeback and won the gold medal.
Horigome spoke about times he nearly gave up and how he kept believing in even a 1% chance.
It’s a memorable quote that drives home the importance of never giving up.
Sometimes you need to practice intensely without overthinking it.Seiji Hirao
These are words said to be about the direction of training by Seiji Hirao, who is also known as a rugby legend.
Basically, technical and logical practice is important, but he says that at times training that goes beyond pure rationality is necessary.
By deliberately making practice tough and developing the mental strength to endure hardship, that experience becomes a source of support for the heart.
It also conveys the importance of a broad mindset—the idea that, at times, unreasonable circumstances can become a catalyst for growth.
Life isn’t for curling; curling is one of the things that make life shine.Mari Motohashi
Mari Motohashi, who has also excelled at the Winter Olympics as a member of the curling team Loco Solare.
She started curling at the age of 12, and while curling may seem like her entire life, that’s not quite the case.
For her, curling is one element of living an enjoyable life, not something to which she dedicates her entire existence—something she conveyed in her own words.
Even athletes who compete on the world stage are human beings.
It seems she’s showing us that both challenging the world through curling and walking one’s own path as an individual are equally valid ways to live one’s life.
Winning or losing is a small thing. What matters is whether you gave it your all.Shuzo Matsuoka
People often say that in the world of competition, results are everything, but former professional tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka says that such a notion is trivial.
Of course, he doesn’t mean that results don’t matter at all; rather, there is something more important.
It’s how wholeheartedly you face the contest.
What makes you grow and become stronger is the process leading up to taking on the challenge.
Regardless of the outcome, by giving your all to something and seeing it through, you can cultivate true strength, can’t you?
The distance you’ve run will never betray you.Mizuki Noguchi
Mizuki Noguchi, the marathon runner who won a gold medal at the Athens Olympics.
This quote teaches us that effort and the volume of training we put in will never betray us—they’re truly meaningful.
You can sense both the great distances she must have run in pursuit of gold and the strength of her will.
Even when we have a goal, it isn’t easy to keep putting in the effort, but knowing this quote makes us realize that steady, persistent work is what really matters and gives us a reason to believe in ourselves.
When you feel like stopping, remember these words and try rekindling your inner fire once more.
You should be honest with your feelings.Hideo Nomo
These are words from Hideo Nomo, who had a successful career as a professional baseball player, speaking about the importance of staying true to your own convictions.
They’re known as words he shared when he was preparing to take on Major League Baseball, expressing an attitude of believing in yourself and embracing the challenge.
A key point is that many around him reacted critically to his attempt to go to the Majors, yet he forged ahead and succeeded precisely because he moved forward in that situation.
Above all, it teaches a credo of prioritizing your resolve and moving ahead so you won’t have regrets—a memorable quote about that stance.
If you can’t believe in yourself, who will?Kei Nishikori
These words, exemplified by tennis player Kei Nishikori and many other athletes, express the mindset of believing in yourself and fighting to the end.
They powerfully convey that charging forward with the conviction that you can deliver results is what truly brings out your abilities.
In this way, they communicate that unless you believe in yourself, you cannot perform at your best—rather than seeking others’ belief, you should take on challenges with confidence.
It’s a message that conveys not only competing against an opponent, but also battling with yourself.


