Wonderful quotes and sayings

Encouraging quotes for when you're feeling down. Words that give you the strength to rise again.

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.

I messed up at work, I got a bad grade on a test, I had a fight with a friend…

When we’re living our lives, there are bound to be times when we feel down.

In this article, we’ll introduce famous quotes we hope you’ll read when you’re feeling low.

We’ve gathered words that offer meaning to failure, encourage you by saying there’s no need to be discouraged, and remind you to cherish yourself—messages that can lift you up from many different angles.

When you want some gentle words of encouragement, be sure to check these out!

Inspirational quotes that lift you up when you’re feeling down. Words that give you the strength to rise (41–50)

Our duty is not success. It is to keep moving forward, undaunted by failure.Robert Louis Stevenson

“Failure is the mother of success” and “Consistency is power” are well-known proverbs, and many great figures around the world have left numerous quotes that echo these ideas.

Robert Louis Stevenson, the British novelist, also left famous words in line with these proverbs.

He spoke of the importance of challenging yourself without fearing failure and, even if you do fail, not giving up there—continuing to move forward by learning from your mistakes.

If you’re feeling down because you’ve failed, I hope you won’t break here; stand up again and keep going.

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Inspiring quotes for when you're feeling down. Words that give you the strength to stand back up (51–60)

No one will be troubled if I put an end to my insignificant thoughts.Virginia Woolf

Do you ever find yourself trapped in endless, unanswerable worries, unable to act the way you want because your own fixations get in the way, or tossed around by your own thoughts? At times like that, the British novelist Virginia Woolf advised us to boldly stop thinking altogether.

If you believe that what’s going on in your head is trivial and only serves to limit your actions, following her words and choosing not to think might bring you some relief.

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I don’t think about anything I can’t control. There’s no point in dwelling on it. I focus only on what I can do.Hideki Matsui

When something unpleasant happens or you run into a wall, all sorts of thoughts race through your mind, right? In moments like that, I’d like you to pause and consider: what percentage of those worries are actually within your control? Hideki Matsui—Godzilla himself, who excelled both in Japan and abroad—once said he doesn’t think about things he can’t control.

If you find yourself dwelling on matters you can’t do anything about, why not stop spending energy on them and instead throw yourself into what you can do right now, right in front of you?

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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 along the way—even when they’ve already reached 90.Shuzo Matsuoka

Here are the words of Shuzo Matsuoka, a TV personality and former tennis player, that clearly express the importance of continuing to make an effort.

When you keep working toward a goal, no one knows how much effort it will take to finally achieve it.

But that’s exactly why, he says, many people give up when they’re just a little short of reaching it.

In other words, when you feel like you want to give up, he’s telling you, “You might be almost there, so try to keep going just a little longer.” If you feel like you’re about to hit a wall, why not believe in these words and push yourself just a little more?

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Good things and bad things both change. No matter how painful it is or how rock-bottom you feel, it won’t last. So there’s nothing to worry about.Jakuchō Setouchi

When you’re going through something painful and feeling down, it’s easy to slip into a negative mindset and think, “What if this tough situation never ends…?” But Jakuchō Setouchi—an author and Buddhist nun who often appeared on TV—said, “Hard times don’t last forever.” Her message, “Situations are always changing, for better or worse, so one day this hardship will surely turn around—so it’s going to be okay!” gently sinks into a weary heart.

These are warm words that help nudge the mind a little toward the positive.

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When you’re troubled and feeling down, what you need is reason; what you don’t need is emotion. Make it a habit to coolly analyze the cause and find a solution.Akihiro Miwa

Akihiro Miwa, who made his debut as a chanson singer, has been admired not only for the many words born of his life experience, but also as a beloved icon who invites good fortune.

Among his many sayings, this is a famous quote about how to resolve things when you’re feeling down.

When we’re depressed, anyone can be swept away by emotion—but he tells us that holding fast to reason and analyzing the situation leads to solutions.

Cultivating the habit of coolheaded analysis in all things makes us believe it will lead to a better future, starting with easing our troubled feelings.

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The important thing is knowing for yourself what you want to do.Snufkin “Moomin”

The important thing is to know for yourself what you want to do.

The important thing is knowing for yourself what you want to do. —Snufkin, Moomin

Watch “The important thing is knowing for yourself what you want to do. — Snufkin (Moomin)” on YouTube

The stories of Moomin are sprinkled with quotes that make you stop and realize something.

The one I’d like to share today is what Snufkin said to Little My.

In this scene, what Little My wanted to do was “eat” and “sleep in a pocket.” What she wants might not seem so difficult.

Snufkin’s words alone can sound philosophical, but when you take them together with the story, they feel very close to home.

Even in small matters, we should listen to our hearts and cherish our true feelings.

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In conclusion

How was it? This time, we introduced inspirational quotes to lift you up when you’re feeling down.

From powerful lines to gentle, supportive words, each one reflects the lives of great figures and famous people.

I hope you find words that resonate with your current state of mind.