When asked to name someone who achieved great feats and etched their name into history, who comes to mind?
Many of us learned in school about people who created ideas and things that are now taken for granted, or those who laid the foundations of culture.
This time, we’ve compiled a list of short quotes left by especially famous historical figures—names that almost everyone has heard at least once.
Each quote reveals the person’s philosophy and way of life, so be sure to check them out!
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You can see philosophy and way of life through words. Short famous quotes by historical figures (1–10)
Excellent people quietly cultivate themselves and nurture their virtue.Zhuge Kongming
Zhuge Liang Kongming, who was active during the Three Kingdoms period, is known for his devoted service to Shu as a military strategist and is remembered along with numerous legends.
These words, left by such a historical strategist, express a view on how truly capable people conduct themselves.
While those who stand at the forefront and promote themselves are often assumed to be talented, he argues that truly exceptional individuals quietly refine themselves.
It is a message that underscores the importance of steady, quiet effort—suggesting that those who can persist in working diligently are the ones who are truly outstanding.
Without trust, there is no friendship; without sincerity, there is no trust.Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson was an 18th-century British poet, critic, and philologist, also known for compiling an English dictionary.
This quote says that merely sharing pleasant times does not constitute true friendship.
The foundation is sincerity—whether you can trust the other person.
Keeping promises, not lying, and not betraying others—such steady accumulation breeds trust and only then leads to friendship.
Johnson’s words are stern but highly realistic.
When a relationship wavers, they serve as a guide for reflecting on what was missing.
It is a timeless saying that those who value friendship would do well to keep in mind.
Friends double joy and halve sorrow.Friedrich von Schiller
These are words by Friedrich von Schiller, who was active in Germany as a poet and thinker, speaking about the effects of friendship.
The content seems to express the movements of our emotions when spending time with friends, conveying that good things are amplified and bad things can be shared.
It also communicates that true friendship is a relationship in which we can talk about good things and rejoice together, and consult about bad things and share the burden.
You can also feel that having someone you can trust enriches your life.
Achieve great things by accumulating small efforts.Ninomiya Sontoku
Sontoku Ninomiya, who was active as an agrarian reformer and thinker in the late Edo period, is known as the model for the statue of Kinjiro Ninomiya, which depicts a continuous attitude toward learning.
These are words he left that speak to the importance of steady accumulation throughout life.
He tells us that it is crucial to start by piling up small efforts, and that if we keep believing and building upon them, great results await.
It’s a message that also teaches the value of persistent effort without giving up and the importance of moving forward with self-belief.
Walk, walk. The importance of keeping onTadataka Ino
Born as the son of a village headman in the Edo period, Tadataka Ino made his mark as a merchant and geographer, and is also known as the man who set out to survey the entire country of Japan and turn it into maps.
Having devoted so much time to surveying, his words carry a special weight as he speaks about the importance of perseverance—of continuing to walk forward.
Even when you don’t know what the outcome will be, it’s crucial to keep believing and moving ahead; he conveys that it’s precisely by pressing on without giving up that great results can be achieved.
These words also read as a call to ignore the gaze of those around you and to trust yourself as you move forward.
Laughed at, laughed at, and grow stronger.Osamu Dazai
Osamu Dazai, who was active mainly in the early Showa period as a novelist, is known for representative works such as “Run, Melos!” and “No Longer Human.” Among the words left by this great literary figure, these focus on the strength that comes precisely from having experienced suffering.
Even if you go through negative experiences like being laughed at by others, overcoming them and moving forward is what creates a strong person, he tells us.
It also feels like a call to learn from suffering as something essential to gaining strength.
Be all the more cautious when making that final push.Takeda Shingen
Takeda Shingen, a warlord who was active during the Sengoku period, ruled Kai—present-day Yamanashi Prefecture—and was feared under the nickname “The Tiger of Kai.” These are words attributed to a figure said to have wielded great power even among the warlords of the era, speaking to how vital it is not to let your guard down.
They convey that it is precisely when your goal is within reach that your focus tends to waver, and that you should approach that final push with even greater caution.
The words also strongly convey an attitude of never becoming complacent, no matter how powerful you are, and of seeing things through to the very end with full effort.
It’s enough to have the willingness to learn from your environment.Umeko Tsuda
Umeko Tsuda, who is recognized as a pioneer of women’s education in Japan, is also known as the founder of today’s Tsuda University.
These are the words of that great educator who devoted herself to women’s education, expressing the belief that having a strong will is more important than anything else.
While many people give up because of the circumstances they find themselves in, she conveys that as long as you have the will, you can still learn.
Her words inspire a positive outlook, suggesting that if you become aware of your own inner resolve and see it through, you should be able to accomplish great things.
Those who do not advance will surely retreat, and those who do not retreat will surely advance.Yukichi Fukuzawa
Yukichi Fukuzawa, who was active as an educator from the late Edo period to the Meiji era, is well known for being featured on the 10,000-yen bill and as the founder of Keio University.
These are words he left about people who move forward and those who stand still.
To keep progressing, what matters most is a forward-looking attitude that never retreats, and it tells us that those who maintain that resolve are the ones who reach their goals.
It also feels like a call to firmly believe in the ideals you set for yourself and in yourself.
Happiness is when you don’t make a problem of happiness.Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Ryunosuke Akutagawa, who was active as a novelist from the Meiji to the Taisho era, is known for representative works such as “Rashomon” and “The Nose.” Here are words from that great literary figure, who left his mark on history, about what happiness is.
He tells us that to think about happiness is, in that moment, not to be happy; the time when we are not thinking about happiness is the time of true happiness.
It also feels like a plea that brooding over happiness is, in fact, an act far removed from happiness.