Heartfelt! Inspiring Quotes Left by Great Figures of Japan

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.

Various great figures who built Japan have left behind numerous famous sayings.

These quotes sometimes resonate with people living in the present and can serve as guideposts when moving things forward.

In this article, we introduce inspiring quotes left by those known as great figures of Japan.

We have gathered quotes from a variety of fields, including historical figures, people who supported major corporations, athletes, and entertainers.

Among the quotes we present, you may find a hint that clears your mind.

Be sure to check them out!

Touches the heart! Famous sayings left by great figures of Japan (101–110)

If we were just one minute earlier, we could save one more person.Calvin Coolidge

Let me introduce a powerful quote from Calvin Coolidge: “If you are one minute early, you can save one more person.” Calvin Coolidge was an American politician who also served as President.

This saying—“If you are one minute early, you can save one more person”—was apparently an American firefighting slogan that was introduced to Japan when the American Red Cross used it in 1923 (Taisho 12) to appeal for aid following the Great Kanto Earthquake.

These powerful words that crossed the ocean truly strike a chord, don’t they?

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There are no coincidences in life. Don’t run away by blaming others or luck—let’s keep building our strength little by little.Kazu Miura

These are words from Kazu Miura that convey the idea that the difficulties we face in life are not a matter of chance or luck, and that it’s important to always be prepared.

They express the belief that if we recognize that everyone is destined to face hardships and build up our strength for them, we can overcome any challenge.

There’s also a message that blaming luck or others won’t lead to true strength, so it’s vital to accept reality and keep moving forward.

These words also reveal a determination to stay true to oneself and press on with strength, no matter the circumstances.

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kappamaki

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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.

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Nakajima Junko

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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.

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kappamaki

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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.

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Resonating with the Heart! Quotes Left by Great Figures of Japan (111–120)

In a country riddled with earthquakes and volcanoes like this, nuclear power plants are out of the question.Hayao Miyazaki

I’d like to introduce a famous quote by Hayao Miyazaki: “In a country riddled with earthquakes and volcanoes like this, nuclear power plants are out of the question.” Miyazaki, whose animated films are beloved by audiences of all ages, is often associated with charming characters.

However, his works also contain underlying themes woven into their direction and storytelling.

In Japan, a country where natural disasters are common, we must be vigilant about earthquakes.

The damage caused by building collapses and tsunamis can be immense.

Having nuclear power plants in such a country is a serious issue and perhaps something that deserves greater attention.

If you watch Nausicaä, whose message resonates with this quote, you may get a sense of what a post–nuclear accident world could be like.

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Nakajima Junko

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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.

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Nakajima Junko

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