RAG Music - Quote [Quotes on Effort] Carefully Selected Messages from Great Figures Quotes on Effort: A curated selection of passionate messages left by great figures and famous people 10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminder kepiko 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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
Accompanist / Piano Instructor yuri Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.
To achieve our goals, to live better lives, and to become our ideal selves…
we are tested on our “effort” in many situations.
However, there are times when we grow tired of constantly striving, or when we can no longer find meaning in our efforts.
In this article, we’ve gathered quotes about “effort” from great figures and famous people.
Reading these quotes reminds us that the achievements of those we call geniuses were possible precisely because of their effort.
Take in these powerful messages and put them to use from here on out!
Table of Contents Quotes on Effort: A curated selection of passionate messages left by great figures and famous people “Even if you can’t do it, it can’t be helped” is something to think after it’s over; if you think that along the way, you’ll never achieve it. Ichiro People who see their efforts as “effort” are generally mistaken. Sanma Akashiya Hard, painful efforts don’t bear fruit, but when the person is actually enjoying themselves—even if others just say, “You’re working hard”—those efforts do bear fruit. Miyazon You must never stop making your best effort to win. You must not run away. Sadaharu Oh Effort is always rewarded. If there is effort that isn’t rewarded, then it cannot yet be called effort. Sadaharu Oh If you can’t even make the effort to study, you’ll fail at everything. Kazlaser Do what needs to be done. Nothing more, nothing less. Masahiro Tanaka Instead of thinking “I hope it turns out like this,” think “It absolutely will. This is how it will be.” Hideki Kuriyama Do not neglect your daily preparation so you won’t miss opportunities. Yuto Nagatomo An athlete who touts their practice by saying “I’m working hard” cannot be called first-rate. Shigeo Nagashima 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration Thomas Alva Edison Without experiencing many sacrifices and hardships, one can never know what success truly is. Gandhi On cold days when nothing blooms, stretch your roots deeper and deeper. In time, a great flower will bloom. Naoko Takahashi No fence reading ‘No entry beyond this point’ can be put up in the face of great ambition, talent, and diligence. Ludwig van Beethoven Those who strive speak of hope; those who are lazy speak of complaints. Yasushi Inoue A strong will to never give up becomes the steps that carry you all the way to the summit. Narumi Takahashi The attitude of striving not to betray yourself will manifest as results in the future. Yoshiharu Habu If you have a clear dream and a clear goal, the path will surely open up. Mahatma Gandhi They say perseverance pays off, like sitting on a stone for three years. But you must not neglect the effort to master in one year what would normally take three. Konosuke Matsushita People who can keep putting in effort longer than others will inevitably succeed. And those who know how to apply their effort can achieve great success. Keisuke Honda A natural gift is something you’re born with. Talent is something you draw out. Coco Chanel The only way to reach an extraordinary place is by steadily piling up small efforts. Ichiro Talent alone is not enough to become great. It takes hard work and dedication. If you’re not prepared to sacrifice something, you won’t gain anything. Kobe Bryant What I want to tell people around the world is to make an effort. If you put your heart into it, you can achieve anything. Cindy Ngamba Everyone has talent. But it’s effort that makes talent blossom. Michael Jordan Impossible is not a fact, but an opinion. Muhammad Ali Prioritizing the team’s victory over personal glory ultimately leads to individual success as well. Lionel Messi There is no escape from effort. Love effort. Roger Federer There is no absolute champion. A champion is always a challenger. Kosuke Kitajima Believe in the 1% chance, believe in yourself, and believe in what you’ve done. Yuto Horigome Life doesn’t create dreams. Dreams create life. Shohei Ohtani Expectations aren’t something to meet, but to exceed. Shohei Ohtani Sometimes you need to practice intensely without overthinking it. Seiji Hirao Effort is always rewarded. If there is effort that isn’t rewarded, then it can’t yet be called effort. Sadaharu Oh The distance you’ve run will never betray you. Mizuki Noguchi We read “failure” as “success.” Katsuya Nomura Don’t rush, don’t panic, don’t give up. Precisely because of all you’ve built up Sara Takanashi Fight with soul, every single throw. Sayaka Yoshimura An indecisive leader can even be harmful. Yoshihide Suga We must win/earn every single step ahead of us. Florence Nightingale If you think you can, you can; if you think you can’t, you can’t. This is an unshakable, absolute law. Pablo Picasso No one ever regrets having done their best. George Halas Small steps of progress add up to great success. Mahatma Gandhi Genius is an ordinary person who makes an extraordinary effort. Albert Einstein Do not fear change. It is part of growth. Elon Musk As long as you keep challenging yourself, failure does not exist. Mark Zuckerberg Nothing is impossible. Muhammad Ali No one can beat someone who never gives up. Babe Ruth The mental strength to endure—to dig in with “One more step!” the very moment you think “I can’t go on”—cultivates an unbeatable power to overcome anything. Taihō Kōki I will defeat geniuses through hard work. Kisenosato Yutaka A professional never makes excuses, no matter what. Chiyonofuji Mitsugu Sweat you shed never lies Chiyonofuji Mitsugu Practice with a view to three years ahead. Be patient, thinking about five or ten years down the road. Taihō Kōki Because there was a humiliating defeat, my determination to absolutely win next time grew stronger. Kitanoumi Toshimitsu The fence isn’t built by others; it’s built by yourself. Aristotle We don’t make efforts to be rewarded. We do it so we don’t betray ourselves. Sanae Takaichi Only the weak are unable to forgive; forgiveness is a sign of strength. Gandhi Life only comes once, and I think everyone struggles and hesitates over many things when they’re young. But at such times—whether or not you can actually realize what you have in mind—I believe you should take the plunge. Yoshihide Suga The best way to pave the road to success is through effort and diligence, and by focusing on what is going well rather than on what isn’t. Do not be easily satisfied—whether with yourself or with anything else. Even when the wind is against you, grit your teeth and refuse to compromise. I succeeded because I never made excuses and never allowed them. Florence Nightingale One of the most important things is to never give up easily. Strive not for success, but to become a person of value. Albert Einstein Something might happen even to those who merely wait, but it will be only the leftovers from those who made the effort. Abraham Lincoln Something might happen to those who only wait, but it will be nothing more than the leftovers of those who made an effort. Lincoln The key to making your dreams come true is to want them like crazy. Kansai Yamamoto Any genius is born of passion. Isaac D'Israeli It’s in the moments you decide that your destiny is shaped. Anthony Robbins I kept telling myself that everything I was studying was for my goal. Miles Davis To challenge yourself is to grow. LeBron James Don’t rush. But don’t give up. Shigeta Saitō If other people can do it, there’s no way you can’t. From Fujiko Fujio's Doraemon If you don’t give up, there will always be a way. Always. Sakichi Toyoda To learn is to enrich one’s life. Albert Einstein It is not noble to be superior to others. Ernest Hemingway What matters is getting back up every time you fail. Winston Churchill Not being satisfied is the best technique for improving your ability. Wayne Gretzky If you stay focused, you can overcome any obstacle. Warren Buffett Knowledge is a weapon. The question is how you use it. Eminem If you believe in yourself, there are no limits. Cristiano Ronaldo Obstacles before you are opportunities. By facing difficulties, you can grow. Kevin Durant There is only one way to succeed: never give up. Jeff Bezos To solve a problem, don’t run away from it. Jack Dorsey You only realize your own strength once you’ve overcome your anxieties and concerns. Serena Williams It’s never too late to start something. Bill Gates Knowledge is power. Francis Bacon Even if I face setbacks, I don’t lose my pride—that’s because I’m putting in the effort. Shigeo Nagashima A person who studies three, four, even five times more than anyone else—that is a genius. Hideyo Noguchi If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Walt Disney It takes time for effort to show results. Many people get bored, waver, and give up before then. Henry Ford Those who do not advance will surely retreat, and those who do not retreat will surely advance. Yukichi Fukuzawa If you keep putting in the effort over enough time, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish. Helen Keller To become the best in the world, you need world-class effort. Keisuke Honda You don’t need to worry about having fallen. What matters is how you get back up from there. Abraham Lincoln Without goals and plans, no amount of effort and courage will do you any good. John F. Kennedy Don’t listen to people who say, “You can’t do it.” If you want to accomplish something yourself, and you fail, don’t blame others—take responsibility yourself. Magic Johnson Suppose there’s a wall that will break if you hit it 100 times. But since no one knows how many hits it takes, they give up partway through—even when they’ve already made it to the 99th hit. Shuzo Matsuoka Our lives are worth only as much as the effort we put into them. François Mauriac The only kind of “doping” I know is just one thing: hard work. Roberto Baggio Once you have set your aspiration, take only those measures that advance you toward it, and never allow yourself to falter. Even if you cannot achieve your goal, you should be prepared to die on the path toward it. Ryotaro Shiba ...to be continued Quotes on Effort: A Curated Selection of Passionate Messages from Great Figures and Famous People (41–50) If you think you can, you can; if you think you can’t, you can’t. This is an unshakable, absolute law. Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso is known as a painter whose style kept shifting from one phase to the next.
Looking at his works The Old Guitarist, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, and Dove, you might even wonder, “Were these really painted by the same person?” Perhaps he had a curious nature that compelled him to try things whenever something caught his interest.
Here are some words Picasso left us.
Just as he changed his style as he wished, you too can surely become anything.
But if you decide on your own that you cannot, then you won’t.
So believe that you can, and keep moving forward.
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No one ever regrets having done their best. George Halas These are the words of George Halas, who led teams in American football for many years and built countless victories.
They reflect the belief that, no matter the outcome, experiences pursued with full effort do not turn into regret.
In studying as well, the time you can say you truly gave your all remains as confidence.
It’s precisely when you cut corners that regret arises later.
Facing things with full commitment is more valuable than the result itself.
The fact that you worked hard supports you and becomes strength for your next challenge.
It’s a positive quote that encourages the courage to take action.
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Small steps of progress add up to great success. Mahatma Gandhi These are the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who achieved India’s independence through the philosophy of nonviolence and influenced the world.
They show that even great change begins with small, daily actions.
In studying, we tend to seek dramatic results, but it is steady, everyday effort that becomes real strength.
As you deepen your understanding bit by bit, the efforts you’ve continued will one day appear as major achievements.
Even when visible results are hard to see, it’s important not to stop moving forward.
This is a weighty quote that gently conveys the value of perseverance.
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Genius is an ordinary person who makes an extraordinary effort. Albert Einstein Albert Einstein, who proposed the theory of relativity and is often called the greatest physicist of the 20th century.
This quote teaches us that genius isn’t reserved for those born with special talent; rather, true talent lies in those who can steadily put in the effort.
The same goes for studying for entrance exams: even if you feel it’s not your thing, the determination to keep going without giving up becomes your strength.
More important than test scores is the progress of “understanding a little more than yesterday.” Einstein himself, celebrated as a genius, was someone who accumulated failures and trial-and-error.
These words offer support to students who want to believe in themselves as they keep working hard.
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Do not fear change. It is part of growth. Elon Musk Elon Musk is an entrepreneur who has continued to take on fields many consider difficult, such as electric vehicles and space development.
What his approach conveys is that he values the courage to choose change over the comfort of staying the same.
In studying, too, it’s natural to feel anxious when you review your methods or tackle a new field, but that first step leads to growth.
You might fail, and the results may not be what you hoped.
Even so, it’s those who keep moving who can expand their possibilities.
These are words that believe in that forward-looking strength.
It’s a message that gently nudges anyone who wants to go just a little beyond who they are now.
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As long as you keep challenging yourself, failure does not exist. Mark Zuckerberg These are the words of Mark Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook and greatly influenced the fabric of society.
Through a series of innovative challenges, he has experienced a great deal of trial and error.
When we try to avoid mistakes and failures in studying for exams or taking tests, we end up reducing the very act of challenging ourselves.
As long as we keep taking action, we learn from it, leading to the next improvement.
Failure is not the end, but a process along the path of growth.
This quote shows that a persistent spirit of challenge opens up the future and encourages proactive action.
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Nothing is impossible. Muhammad Ali These are the words of Muhammad Ali, who symbolized an era as the world heavyweight champion and left behind many legendary bouts.
This short phrase embodies his stance of believing in his own potential without being bound by conventions or others’ evaluations.
In studying as well, if you decide from the start that something is impossible, the seed of growth will never sprout.
It is precisely when you face difficult challenges that a spirit of taking them on can change your future.
Even walls that seem insurmountable can, through steady effort, turn into realistic goals.
It is a famous quote that strips away preconceptions and gives us the courage to act.
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No one can beat someone who never gives up. Babe Ruth Here is a famous quote from Babe Ruth, who made great contributions to American professional baseball.
He accomplished many remarkable deeds, such as gifting home runs to young fans who were ill.
Babe Ruth is synonymous with home run records, but behind that glory, he must have put in an enormous amount of effort.
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The mental strength to endure—to dig in with “One more step!” the very moment you think “I can’t go on”—cultivates an unbeatable power to overcome anything. Taihō Kōki In the world of competition, you either win or lose.
In sumo, that contest can be over in an instant.
In such moments, there are times when you feel it’s all over.
But through this famous quote, Taiho teaches us that what matters is what comes next.
If you can take just one more step when you think you can’t, if you can endure, the moment that leads to victory may arrive.
A strong heart that never gives up, no matter the circumstances, is the key to drawing victory closer.
It’s a quote to remember especially when you’re in a do-or-die, on-the-edge situation.
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I will defeat geniuses through hard work. Kisenosato Yutaka The reason these words are passed down as a famous quote is likely because he actually earned the rank of new Yokozuna through hard work.
In the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament, where he challenged for the new Yokozuna, Kisenosato suffered an injury, yet he still pulled off a stunning come-from-behind championship.
These words are what he left in his junior high school graduation anthology.
He was a man of effort even back then.
His disciples have said that he was someone who never skipped practice no matter what.
He also said at a lecture at his alma mater that if you work hard, the way will open.
This quote is surely the best encouragement for anyone.
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