Quotes that save your heart in times of pain or hardship
Everyone, regardless of generation—whether it’s relationships, work, or for students, entrance exams and club activities—has some kind of worry.
When you can’t feel positive or you feel like throwing everything away, what can you do to bounce back? This time, we’ve compiled a list of quotes that will stay by your side during tough times.
From words that accept who you are right now to those that help shift your mindset forward, we’re sharing a wide range.
We hope you’ll find a quote that rescues your heart.
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Quotes that save the heart in tough and painful times (21–30)
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.
It’s okay. Let’s rebuild again.Akio Tadano
These are the words of Akio Tadano, who ran a ryokan in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture—words about moving forward with a positive spirit even in the face of hardship.
At the time, many interviews carried a heavy sense of gloom and featured questions that stoked anxiety, which is why the fact that he delivered these words with a smile drew so much attention.
They convey a powerful hope amid uncertainty—the sense that by keeping on and not standing still, a new path will open.
The impression is further strengthened by the fact that Mr.
Tadano actually rebuilt his ryokan, embodying the importance of facing forward, just as he said.
Quotes that save your heart in tough and painful times (31–40)
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.
Earthquakes will strike again and again. To prevent severe damage, we will build parks and roads.Shinpei Gotō
I would like to introduce a famous quote left by Shinpei Goto: “Earthquakes will come again and again.
To prevent great damage, we must build parks and roads.” From this saying, one can sense his conviction to protect human life.
Shinpei Goto devoted himself to the reconstruction after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, making present-day Tokyo a city resilient to disasters.
Immediately after the earthquake, he became Minister of Home Affairs and then Minister for Reconstruction to rebuild Tokyo, which had suffered immense damage.
Along with the quote, he conceived reconstruction measures, but at the time he faced criticism from those around him.
It is said that enormous funds were required to put them into action, and landowners opposed the purchase of tracts that had been reduced to burned-out fields by the quake.
Although his budget was cut, Goto poured his efforts into building a disaster-resilient city.
Thanks to those efforts, Tokyo became stronger against earthquakes than it had been in the past.
What Japan gained after losing everything was hope… It planted the seeds of hope within us, who had been captivated by wealth.Ryu Murakami
I would like to share a famous quote by Ryū Murakami: “What Japan, having lost everything, gained was hope… It planted the seeds of hope within us, whose hearts had been captivated by wealth.” The Great East Japan Earthquake caused immense damage.
Many people must have spent their days in deep anxiety.
Yet it is precisely in such times that we must not forget “hope.” As the writer Ryū Murakami says, what we gain when everything is lost in a disaster is hope—the hope to live earnestly now and to dream of a brighter future.
In a Japan where everything is close at hand and life has become affluent, perhaps many of us have lost hope in exchange.
This also resonates with the story of Pandora’s box, in which hope remained at the end.
Just because you’ve been beaten down doesn’t mean you have to get discouraged. Even after all that beating and whipping, eggs still make a cake rise.Mary Johnston
Here are the words of American author Mary Johnston.
It’s a wonderful quote with the charming touch of comparing life to a cake.
Because she was in poor health, she couldn’t attend school, and it’s said that her bed was her world.
After becoming a writer, she produced several hits; Audrey became the fifth best-selling book in the United States in 1902.
This quote reflects her unyielding spirit.
It’s something to remember when you suddenly find yourself wondering “Why is that?” in everyday life.
Even when you feel down or discouraged, you’ll be okay if you hold your head high and keep moving forward—these words give you a gentle push.
A woman who has cried enough tears to wash her eyes gains a wider field of vision.Dorothy Dix
Dorothy Dix, an American journalist who gained popularity as a pioneer of advice columnists and took part in the women’s suffrage movement, once said, “The woman who has cried enough tears to wash her eyes sees things better.” It’s a quote that conveys a sense of women’s strength.
The message that we can grow precisely because we’ve endured painful experiences helps transform negative emotions into positive ones.
It’s a gentle yet powerful quote you’ll want to share with someone who is hurting right now.
