When someone close to you is working hard toward something, what words do you say to them?
Simple phrases like “Do your best” or “Don’t overdo it” exist, but if possible, you’d probably want to use words that can support and affirm their efforts.
So this time, we’ll introduce phrases you can say to someone who’s giving their all.
We’ve compiled them from various angles—such as their attitude toward their goals and how to handle others’ opinions—so be sure to check them out!
Words to say to someone who’s doing their best. What phrases resonate with their effort? (1–10)
You should have more faith in your talents and what you’ve done.Ichiro
It teaches us the importance of not underestimating ourselves and having confidence in the effort we’ve built up.
The more things don’t go well, the more we tend to think, “Maybe I can’t do it,” but the time we’ve spent working hard has never been wasted.
For example, even when results don’t come in a sport you’ve practiced for years, believing in the effort you’ve made and continuing on can turn into strength.
In studying as well, those who have kept at it steadily are the ones who can demonstrate their abilities when it counts.
These words convey that believing in yourself becomes the foundation that supports your next step.
If you fail, just try again. If trying again doesn’t work, get creative once more and try again.Konosuke Matsushita
If you fail, you can try again. If trying again doesn’t work, think of a new way and try once more... A famous quote by Konosuke Matsushita.
Konosuke Matsushita, the entrepreneur who built Panasonic Holdings and was known as the “god of management.” These are words that could only come from Matsushita, who founded his own company and grew it by overcoming countless hardships.
His message—that even if you fail again and again, you can keep changing your approach, use ingenuity, and continue on the path to success—fills you with strength.
By not treating failure as the villain and instead seeing it as a single step in the process, it may ease the feeling of discouragement just a little.
There are no solutions in life. What exists in life is only a force in motion. We have to create that force. The solutions will follow afterward.Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the novelist who wrote The Little Prince, a work loved around the world.
Here is a passage from one of his masterpieces, Night Flight.
Life never goes backward.
As we keep moving forward, we must overcome many things.
However, moving forward requires effort.
He tells us that as we proceed through life by trial and error, we can find solutions to each of our problems.
If you’re troubled and have come to a standstill, try, above all, to take a step forward.
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
Here are some words I want to share with those striving toward their dreams and goals.
They come from Cindy Ngamba, the women’s 75 kg boxer.
Cindy Ngamba won a brilliant bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first medalist from the Refugee Olympic Team.
“What I want to tell people around the world is to work hard.
If you put your heart into it, you can achieve anything.” These words apply not only to sports but to everything in our daily lives.
From her message, you can feel her strong will and the grueling effort she puts in day after day—a powerful quote that pushes forward everyone who strives.
A champion is defined not by how they act when they win, but by how they rise after they lose.Serena Williams
It means that true strength appears in how you act after a loss.
Anyone can celebrate when they win.
But it’s precisely when you’re frustrated by defeat and feel like your spirit might break that your real strength is tested.
For example, if you lose a game by a wide margin, the true champion isn’t the one who says, “I can’t do this anymore” and gives up, but the one who looks forward and keeps working, saying, “I’ll practice more for next time.” The same is true when you don’t get the test score you hoped for.
It gently teaches us that failure isn’t the end, but a chance to grow.
The courage to stand back up after losing is what leads to future victory.
What matters is not practice, but the passion for practice.Pelé
Which is better: practicing just because you’re vaguely told to, or practicing hard with a clear goal in mind? Pelé, called the King of Soccer and admired by players and fans around the world—he captivated so many people precisely because, true to these words, he kept practicing tirelessly with passion, scored countless goals, and became a beloved figure worldwide.
Spending time on practice is sometimes important, but even more important, he teaches us, is approaching practice with your heart fully invested and your soul in it.
Life isn’t for curling; curling is one of the things that make life shine.Mari Motohashi
Mari Motohashi, who has also excelled at the Winter Olympics as a member of the curling team Loco Solare.
She started curling at the age of 12, and while curling may seem like her entire life, that’s not quite the case.
For her, curling is one element of living an enjoyable life, not something to which she dedicates her entire existence—something she conveyed in her own words.
Even athletes who compete on the world stage are human beings.
It seems she’s showing us that both challenging the world through curling and walking one’s own path as an individual are equally valid ways to live one’s life.
