If you are tired, sit for a while on the grass by the roadside and watch the passersby. People will never go all that far.Ivan Turgenev
These words by the Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev remind us that taking a breather is sometimes important.
Said to be a line from one of Turgenev’s poems, this phrase was reportedly recited in a commercial for Nikka Whisky’s round-bottle “Nikki.” It’s important to keep pushing forward with focus, and we might think, “If I stop to rest, I’ll be left behind!” But when we encounter these words—gently telling us, “If you’re tired, sit down and rest; you won’t be left behind so easily, so there’s no need to rush”—we can relax our shoulders and feel refreshed.
Being alive itself is, by nature, happiness.Kazlaser
In this age overflowing with information on social media, seeing someone else’s seemingly fun life can make you feel like you have nothing, or leave you discouraged by comparison.
But if you think about it, simply getting through today safely, or enjoying a good meal—those small joys and learnings, accumulated day by day, are valuable in their own right.
What matters is not comparing yourself to others, but paying attention to what kind of day you had today, what you felt, and what you did.
By doing so, your heart will gradually become calmer, and you’ll be able to appreciate the very fact of being alive and notice the small happinesses in your life.
Lately, terms like “winners” and “losers” are popular, but I think what really matters is whether you’ve actually gotten started.Eikichi Yazawa
From the terms “winners” and “losers,” we sometimes end up viewing life as a win-or-lose game, which can make us feel down when things don’t go well.
Here are words from Eikichi Yazawa that question such labels and convey what truly matters.
He tells us that life isn’t about winning or losing; what matters most is simply starting, and the real value lies in the fact that you are moving forward.
These words shift your focus from results to the process and may inspire you to give your all in each moment.
We do not laugh because we are happy; we are happy because we laugh.William James
"We do not laugh because we are happy; we are happy because we laugh." — William James [Keizoku Keiei (Sustainable Management) ・ Yoshinari Noda]
This is a famous quote by William James, a philosopher and psychologist known as a pragmatist who advocated the philosophy also called “pragmatism.” It means that if you make an effort to keep a smile even when you’re not enjoying yourself, you can cultivate a positive mindset.
Sometimes feelings show up in our actions, and other times our actions influence our hearts.
Rather than merely wishing to become who you want to be, by consciously shaping your ideal self first, your feelings may naturally follow.
It’s a saying that feels very characteristic of William James, the pragmatist.
The only people who don’t make mistakes are those who do nothing.Theodore Roosevelt
Nicknamed “Teddy,” Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was known not only as a statesman but also as a soldier, writer, hunter, explorer, and naturalist.
His famous quote, “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything,” is a message I would like to offer to anyone feeling down after making a mistake.
If you do nothing, you make no mistakes—but you also create nothing and achieve nothing.
The idea that both good and bad things happen precisely because we take action can give us the courage to keep moving forward.
Limits never existed from the start. You only believe they do.Lady Gaga
When you’re challenging yourself, there always comes a moment when you feel you’ve hit a limit and it’s hard to go any further—and you may struggle with how to push past it.
Here are Lady Gaga’s words, which offer a way of thinking about the limits everyone feels on the path of challenge and convey the possibility of further growth.
She tells us that limits are born from assumptions and don’t truly exist—that we only believe they’re there, and that we actually have the power to overcome them.
These words shatter the very notion of limits, which often lead to giving up, and give us a positive force to keep moving forward.
Life is like a broken bone: the place that broke becomes stronger.Chihara Junior
As we go through life, we experience many moments when our hearts break, and each time we may feel like giving up on what we’ve been pursuing.
Focusing on this notion of a broken heart, here are the words of Junior Chihara, which convey how it can affect our future lives.
He says that having your heart broken is similar to a bone fracture: just as bones become stronger after they heal, there are parts of the heart that grow stronger through being broken.
If we can believe that a broken heart isn’t only a negative thing, we may be able to shift our mindset in a more positive direction.
This is one of the messages shared by marketing consultant Masahiro Fujimura on his blog and social media.
He says it comes from his own experience, and that there’s no benefit to filling your head with worries.
Incidentally, according to research introduced in the book “99.9% Are Amateurs at Happiness,” only 13% of the things people worry about actually happen, and 80% of those can be resolved by the individuals themselves.
That means only about 3% are worries we can’t do anything about.
In other words, science also shows that most of the things we worry about never come to pass.
