Quotes from great figures that give us the power to live
There are many people in the world called “great figures” who have astonished others, created useful technologies, and moved people’s hearts.
In this article, we carefully select and introduce famous quotes spoken by such great figures.
We’ve gathered quotes from a variety of perspectives—ones that give you the strength to face forward when you feel like giving up, ones that help you take one more step, and ones that let you feel love and dreams.
You might even come across a quote that supports your days—and your life.
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Quotes from great figures that give us the strength to live (61–70)
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?
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.
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.
No success for those without dreams.Yoshida Shōin
Yoshida Shōin, the thinker and educator who founded the Shōka Sonjuku, is said to have nurtured figures like Takasugi Shinsaku and Itō Hirobumi.
Let me share one of his famous sayings: “There is no success for those without dreams.” Having a dream doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, but people who succeed usually have one.
Without a dream, you won’t make the effort, nor will you aspire to grow.
If you want to succeed, first have a dream.
What kind of dream do you hold, and how do you want to let your life blossom?
The greatest adventure for you is to live your dreams.Oprah Winfrey
She is a television host and producer, as well as a philanthropist.
When we think of adventure, it seems like it would require a lot of time and money, but her famous quote tells us that adventure is something we can experience anytime, even outside of those circumstances.
Even in our seemingly unchanging daily lives, there’s plenty of room for adventure, and by becoming aware of our dreams, each day can turn into an adventure.
Thinking of it that way makes each day feel all the more precious, doesn’t it?
Even if you’re knocked down 99 times, all you need is to stand up the 100th time.Vincent van Gogh
As a painter representing the Post-Impressionists, the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh is still beloved around the world for his works today.
The quote, “Even if you’re knocked down 99 times, it’s enough to stand up the 100th,” evokes the dramatic life he led.
The message—that you haven’t lost unless you think you have, and that if you can smile in the end, you’ve won—can be a salvation for those on the verge of breaking.
It’s a maxim that, if adopted as a personal motto, will surely strengthen the heart.
No matter how dark it is, the stars are shining.Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson, known as a leading figure of Transcendentalism and also an essayist who wore many hats as a thinker, philosopher, writer, and poet.
His famous quote, “Though we may travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not,” reminds us that even when hope is invisible, it certainly exists.
Real stars can sometimes be hidden by temperature or weather, but that doesn’t mean the stars themselves disappear.
Even if our circumstances or feelings make things seem invisible, this quote helps us realize that hope never truly goes away.