Wonderful quotes and sayings

One-line Quotes from Great Figures That Strike the Heart | A Collection of Words That Leave a Deep Impression

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
POPS writer/editorKEI
Since discovering music during my school days, I’ve mainly listened to Japanese and Korean pop. I have experience writing articles for sites like Utaten. 2000s J-pop and 2010s K-pop were especially the soundtrack of my youth. With the mindset that “good is good,” I enjoy music across genres. Thanks to past work environments and their influence, I was exposed to lots of classic rock and kayōkyoku (Japanese popular songs), which may have broadened the scope of what I love. At RAG MUSIC, I currently focus on K-pop and J-pop. I strive to edit with a feel for the scene and an eye for hit potential.

Amid the layers of history, memorable quotes are born.

Often, the depths of those words carry the speaker’s feelings or even reflect their entire way of life.

Sometimes, words packed with hints—like the wisdom of our predecessors—can even save a life.

Precious words born from perspectives we can’t see ourselves, or from hard-won experience.

Among such wonderful sayings, I’ve picked out ones that are “simple” or just “a single phrase.”

Learning about the person behind the words and their origins will surely make you feel even more connected to them.

May they give you strength to live each day!

One-phrase Quotes That Stir the Hearts of Great Figures | A Collection of Deeply Imprinted Words (111–120)

Right now, both you and I are living in a future that someone risked their life to protect. I believe that, as those entrusted with this era, we have the responsibility to make the Japanese archipelago stronger and more prosperous, and to pass it on to the next generation.Sanae Takaichi

These words express the idea that the present we live in was left to us by those who came before, and that we, like our predecessors, have a responsibility to think about the future.

The line originally appeared in the film “If Only I Could Meet You Again at the Hill Where That Flower Blooms,” and the fact that it was quoted in a public setting suggests a resonance with political convictions.

The phrasing that we are the custodians of our era is striking, and it conveys the notion that history is connected in this way.

It’s a message that prompts us to reflect on how we should live in our time—what our predecessors left behind for us, and what we can do for the future.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

The most important things for humans are love and humanity.Chiune Sugihara

He upheld humanitarianism and issued visas for life. [Chiune Sugihara]

The most important things for humans are love and humanity. Chiune Sugihara

During World War II, Chiune Sugihara saved many refugees.

Serving as a Japanese consular official and diplomat, he was called the “Schindler of the East.” One of his famous sayings is, “For human beings, the most important things are love and humanity.” This statement reflects the conviction behind his issuing visas and saving thousands of refugees.

With love, he simply wanted to help the person before him, and that sentiment led to his actions.

Even in times when our hearts are prone to grow desolate, we must learn from these words the importance of caring for others.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

If it’s just my life, I’ll bet it.Shinji Ishimaru

These words were spoken by Shinji Ishimaru, former mayor of Akitakata, as he explained why he is running in the Tokyo gubernatorial election, expressing his approach to confronting hardship.

They are also featured as promotional copy for Climbers, an event that offers special life lectures, and they carry a strong sense of resolve.

He reflects on what it takes to move a nation like Japan and says that to pursue that path requires a commitment worthy of one’s entire life.

If you aim to move great obstacles, your own life is a small price to pay—these words convey a head-on determination to leverage that resolve to produce major results.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

I’ve found what to do with my life.Shinji Ishimaru

These are words from Shinji Ishimaru’s final appeal as a candidate on the day before the Tokyo gubernatorial election.

Reflecting on his path—from leaving the bank to becoming mayor of Akitakata, and then running for Tokyo governor—he says that by looking closely at the state of politics, he came to understand what he needed to do.

He conveys that acting with a sense of urgency—feeling that things couldn’t go on as they were and that he had to do something himself—has led him to this moment.

It’s a message that not only speaks to this campaign, but also signals his resolve going forward: to devote his life, wholeheartedly, to what he sees before him and believes must be done.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem