RAG Music - Quote Words that send us off on the journey called graduation Quotes that accompany the departure called graduation—words that will give you courage for the life ahead. Keyboard player SAKI I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”
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.
When we reach the major milestone of graduation, it’s natural to feel both excitement and anxiety about the life ahead.
At times like these, reading quotes left by great figures may gently give you a push forward.
The courage to chase your dreams, the strength to overcome hardships, the nudge to take on new challenges… The profound messages contained in these quotes will support you as you take your next step.
In this article, we introduce inspiring quotes perfect for the graduation moment.
You’re sure to find words that will light your future!
Table of Contents Quotes that accompany the departure called graduation—words that will give you courage for the life ahead. Walls only appear to those who are capable. They come only to people who have the potential to overcome them. That’s why, when I face a wall, I see it as a chance. Ichiro Suzuki Trust others, but trust yourself a hundred times more. Osamu Tezuka What matters is not who you’ve been up to now, but who you’ll be from here on. Ella Fitzgerald If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Walt Disney If you think you can, you can; if you think you can’t, you can’t. This is an unshakable, absolute law. Pablo Picasso In this world, there is a unique path that only you can walk. Do not ask where that path will lead. Simply keep moving forward. Friedrich Nietzsche You should just go all out and try whatever you set your mind to. No matter which way things turn out, we humans, like stones by the roadside, end our lives as bones all the same. Ryoma Sakamoto Where there is a will, there is a way. Abraham Lincoln Your destiny is determined at the moment you make a decision. Anthony Robbins Do not anticipate difficulties. Do not trouble your mind over things that may never happen. Always keep sunshine in your heart. Benjamin Franklin No one can teach you how to live. That’s something you have to discover for yourself. Bob Marley Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. Albert Einstein The greatest risk in life is not taking any risks. Mark Zuckerberg If you have a clear dream and a clear purpose—if you hold on to them firmly—the way forward will surely open. Mahatma Gandhi God doesn’t want us to succeed. He just wants us to try. Mother Teresa Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. George Bernard Shaw There’s no need to look back. In front of you, there are countless paths to take. Lu Xun It’s never too late to become the person you wanted to be. George Eliot Do not avoid the difficult path. You must move forward if you want to reach your destination. Katherine Anne Porter Any human being can do more than they think. Henry Ford Believe in yourself (Jibun o shinjite) Practice makes perfect. There’s no bad ending—we’re still in the middle of it. Naoki Matayoshi Fear not the future, cling not to the past, live in the present. Takafumi Horie Challenges make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. Joshua Marin We must win/earn every single step ahead of us. Florence Nightingale You are in the middle of a shining life. Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi Any person is capable of more than they think. Charles Chaplin If you have a clear dream and a clear goal, the path will surely open up. Mahatma Gandhi The story begins here. Osamu Tezuka Youth is the freshness of the heart. As long as one is filled with conviction and hope, brimming with courage, and continues ever-renewed activity day by day, youth will be theirs forever. Konosuke Matsushita If you’re not willing to lift the stone by yourself, you won’t be able to lift it even with two people. Goethe The punishment for a liar is not, at least, that he is no longer believed by others. Rather, it is that he can no longer believe anyone. Bernard Shaw At times, leave the beaten path and venture into the forest. There, you will surely discover something new that you have never seen before. Alexander Graham Bell Never give up (Please don’t ever give up) If you can change yourself, the world will change too. Mahatma Gandhi Easier done than said. Dripping water hollows stone. Where there is a will, there is a way. Abraham Lincoln A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Laozi As long as you keep challenging yourself, failure does not exist. Mark Zuckerberg You have to fail, or you’ll never succeed. Coco Chanel Do you want to know who you are? Do not ask. Act! Your actions will depict you, and reveal you. Thomas Jefferson The secret to success is to keep going until you succeed. Thomas Edison Small efforts add up to great strength. Saneatsu Mushanokōji In every person’s heart, there is a fire that burns toward something. Finding it and keeping it burning is the purpose of our lives. Mary Lou Retton I don’t care about the destination. The journey to get there is everything. Willa Cather I always want to have courage rather than talent. Allen Iverson Never yield. Never, never, never! Winston Churchill Be true to the dreams of your youth. Friedrich von Schiller Beyond the clouds, the sky is always blue. Louisa May Alcott Dreams—nothing else creates the future. Victor Hugo Lifelong learning, lifelong youth. Mitsuo Aida Those who do not advance will surely fall back, and those who do not retreat will surely advance. Yukichi Fukuzawa Do not let other people’s opinions silence your true inner voice. Have the courage to trust your intuition. Steve Jobs If you want to see a rainbow, you have to put up with a little rain. Dolly Barton You can’t change other people or the past, but you can change yourself and the future. Eric Berne As long as you don’t lose to yourself, it isn’t defeat. Eleanor Roosevelt Love the life you live. Live the life you love. Bob Marley Humans don’t lose when they’re defeated; they lose when they quit. Richard Nixon In life, you have to make up your own mind and see it through. Taro Okamoto Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Steve Jobs A person becomes the kind of person they think themselves to be. Bruce Lee If you stop trying to be liked by your friends, resolve to accept being isolated from them, and stay true to yourself, you can become someone who is genuinely appreciated by everyone. Taro Okamoto Unless you try building a tall tower, a new horizon won’t come into view. Junichiro Kawaguchi What matters is not avoiding a fall, but getting back up quickly. Shigeta Saitō People are not meant to do the same thing until they die. It is wonderful to live according to your ideals. Eiichi Shibusawa We must keep in mind that to reach the highest goals, the only way is to move forward step by step. Andrew Carnegie The greatest adventure for you is to live your dreams. Oprah Winfrey The world is full of hardships, but it’s also full of ways to overcome them. Helen Keller Because we dream, life shines. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart What is a life without enjoyment? Eiji Yoshikawa Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Charles Dederich Quotes that accompany the departure called graduation: words that will give you courage for the life ahead (41–50) Do you want to know who you are? Do not ask. Act! Your actions will depict you, and reveal you. Thomas Jefferson When you lack confidence or lose sight of yourself, you may feel the urge to search for who you are.
After graduation, if you’re in an environment without friends your age nearby, it can be hard to open up about your worries right away.
When you wonder, “Who am I, really?” the clearest answer lies in your actions.
Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, expressed this in one of his famous quotes as well.
Your actions reflect who you are.
And if you have an ideal character you aspire to, try acting in ways that align with that ideal.
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The secret to success is to keep going until you succeed. Thomas Edison Thomas Edison, an inventor who experienced countless failures, saw success not as a special talent but as the result of perseverance.
If you give up halfway, all the effort up to that point never takes shape.
The times when things don’t go as planned are part of the process of refining your approach.
Continuing is not easy, but the time you accumulate will surely become your strength.
The determination not to stop until results appear is the shortest path to success.
This quote captures the essence of effort and teaches us the value of persistently pressing on.
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Small efforts add up to great strength. Saneatsu Mushanokōji Saneatsu Mushanokōji, who observed the way people live as a man of letters, spoke of the preciousness of daily accumulation.
In our pursuit of big results, we often neglect the small actions right before us.
Yet no success ever appears suddenly; it is shaped by a steady succession of efforts.
Even a step that draws no attention can become real strength if continued.
Without haste, the attitude of steadily doing what you can will eventually yield results beyond what you imagined.
It is a weighty saying that quietly teaches the value of perseverance.
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In every person’s heart, there is a fire that burns toward something. Finding it and keeping it burning is the purpose of our lives. Mary Lou Retton Mary Lou Retton, who rose to the pinnacle of the world as a gymnast, has walked forward powered by effort and passion.
Each of us harbors a deep desire to accomplish something, but amid busyness and anxiety, we can sometimes lose sight of that inner flame.
What matters is finding the direction you truly want to pursue and continually nurturing that resolve without letting it go out.
Passion is what gives you the strength to move forward even in difficult circumstances.
This quote reminds us of the value of believing in the fire within and keeping it burning.
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I don’t care about the destination. The journey to get there is everything. Willa Cather As a leading female author in American literature, Willa Cather meticulously depicted the land and the ways people live, leaving behind many works that find meaning in the processes of life.
Her perspective is reflected in a stance that honors the time spent journeying rather than the results.
As graduation approaches, we tend to focus only on goals and endpoints, which can lead to impatience.
Life is enriched by the accumulation of detours and uncertainties.
No experience is wasted; the path you are walking now is shaping who you are.
It is a deeply evocative quotation that quietly conveys the value of cherishing the process.
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I always want to have courage rather than talent. Allen Iverson Allen Iverson, a professional basketball player who, despite being relatively small for an NBA player, exuded an overwhelming presence and captivated many with a playstyle that defied convention, is known as a symbol of hard work and challenge.
He did not succeed solely because he was blessed with ideal conditions; it was his fearless willingness to step forward that opened paths for him.
After graduation, it’s natural to feel uneasy about differences in ability or accomplishments.
But what matters more than perfection is the willingness to take that first step.
By acting with courage, you accumulate experience, and confidence follows.
It’s a quote that teaches the value of a mindset that embraces challenge.
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Never yield. Never, never, never! Winston Churchill Winston Churchill, who led Britain through the difficult era of World War II, is remembered in history as a leader who continually inspired people with powerful words and deeds.
Even amid the harsh realities of war, he never lost hope and showed a determination to press forward.
In life after graduation, no one can avoid failure or setbacks.
In those moments, it is not the circumstances that are tested, but your own will.
The determination to keep getting back up is what opens the way to the future.
This is a famous quote that stirs the heart in difficult times and conveys an unshakable strength.
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