Cool quotes from historical figures! A collection of great sayings by luminaries that resonate across the ages

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.
Music writer / guitarist / Certified web writing practitionerHoshino Takashi
Drawing on over 30 years of experience with guitars and bands since my high school days, I specialize in music-related articles and have handled many feature pieces to date. While my tastes lean toward genres like hard rock and heavy metal since I first picked up the guitar, I make a point of listening to a wide range of styles, both Japanese and Western, on a daily basis. I began working as a freelance writer in 2018. I hold a Web Writing Practical Certification, and in addition to writing, I’m also studying video editing. In my private life, I’m raising an elementary school child and stay active while supporting their extracurriculars, such as parkour and dance.

Great figures who have etched their names into history have left behind stirring words along with their achievements.

The strength to overcome adversity, profound insights that pierce the essence of life, and an unwavering belief in the future.

The words of those who have colored world history contain something that resonates across time.

Would you like to encounter the cool, spine-straightening quotes of these great individuals? In this article, we introduce quotations from historical figures that will ignite your spirit.

Surely, they will give you the courage to take a step forward starting tomorrow.

Cool quotes from historical figures! A collection of timeless sayings by great people that resonate across eras (21–30)

What I’m doing is by no means something big, but it is something necessary.NEW!Che Guevara

This is one of the famous quotes left by Che Guevara, a revolutionary from Argentina.

Do you have any goals right now? Whether it’s work, your future, hobbies, or dreams, there are many challenges on the way to achieving big goals.

By overcoming those small challenges and accumulating experience, you move closer to your goal.

The road to achieving your goal can be long, and at times you may feel like your spirit is breaking.

However, those daily challenges are also necessary to reach your goal.

When you feel lost or come to a halt, try to remember these words.

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Find a way. If there isn’t one, make one.NEW!Hannibal Barca

Hannibal Barca, renowned as Carthage’s great general who defeated the Roman army at the Battle of Cannae.

This famous quote is undeniably the powerful words of a true commander.

In 221 BCE, at the young age of twenty-six, he became the army’s commander and achieved numerous victories.

Perhaps this was because, as the quote suggests, he constantly sought ways to win, and if none could be found, he would create them himself.

His lofty ambition and unwavering resolve elevated him to a great general and made him a figure remembered and spoken of to this day.

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Your happiness in life depends on the quality of your thoughts.NEW!Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, one of the Five Good Emperors and the 16th Roman emperor.

He is also known for leaving behind his work Meditations, and can be regarded as a model of a philosopher-king who preferred learning over war.

He was also a thinker within Stoic philosophy.

The happiness of life changes according to the quality of one’s own thoughts.

Controlling the mind and emotions through thought also affects how we ultimately interpret things.

In other words, a single way of thinking can make you happy—or unhappy.

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People deserve praise or blame solely based on whether they have the perseverance to see things through.NEW!Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, a master artist of the Renaissance known for The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa.

From this quote he left behind, we can sense the importance of perseverance.

The ability to carry through without abandoning what you have decided to do is essential for success.

By continuing to make efforts without giving up until the end, people earn praise and etch their names into history.

Leonardo da Vinci is known as a remarkably versatile figure, even called a “universal genius.” Perhaps it was precisely because he possessed this power of perseverance.

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If you try, you can achieve; if you don’t try, you won’t. Whatever fails to be accomplished fails because people do not attempt it.NEW!Uesugi Yōzan

Uesugi Yōzan was a mid-Edo period feudal lord and the 9th daimyō of the Yonezawa Domain in Dewa Province.

These words are said to be a lesson he composed and gave to his retainers.

Both “為す” (nasu) and “成す” (nasu) are pronounced the same.

“為す” means to take action; “成す” means to accomplish something.

In other words, if you try, you can do it.

You can’t do anything if you don’t try.

If something can’t be done, it’s because the person doesn’t attempt it.

These words teach the importance of effort and taking action.

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No success for those without dreams.NEW!Yoshida Shōin

Yoshida Shoin was a samurai of the Edo period and also an educator.

He founded the Shoka Sonjuku and is known for having mentored figures such as Ito Hirobumi and Takasugi Shinsaku.

His saying “Those without dreams cannot succeed” is actually part of a longer passage: “Those without dreams have no ideals; those without ideals have no plans; those without plans have no execution; those without execution have no success.

Therefore, those without dreams have no success.” These words teach us that to achieve our goals, we must first set them and then carry out the plans to accomplish them.

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As you stretch yourself to broaden your horizons, it’s possible you’ll actually grow taller. That’s part of what makes life interesting.NEW!Saburō Shiroyama

This quote left by the novelist Saburō Jōyama teaches us the importance of taking on challenges.

Don’t you sometimes find yourself thinking with a narrow perspective? It’s easy to let yourself be carried along without broadening your view or attempting anything new.

But if you widen your perspective just a little, you may realize that what you face is easier to overcome than you thought.

When you stretch yourself to take on a challenge, you begin to see a different landscape—as if you’ve actually grown taller.

When you want to take that first step, remember these words.

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