RAG Music - Quote A few words for life... carefully selected words to give One-Line Life Quotes: Carefully selected words that gently nudge you forward 10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminder kepiko 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 for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
Accompanist / Piano Instructor yuri Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.
The words of great figures—who have accumulated many experiences, wrestled with doubts, and taken action throughout their lives—are filled with wisdom for living richly.
One way to learn from them is by reading autobiographies.
But many people may find it hard to make time to read thick volumes packed with the intense lives of those who came before us.
So in this article, we’ve selected and shared some special messages from the famous quotes of various notable people that can serve as hints for life.
If you read them when you hit a wall or feel lost and unsettled, you’ll likely find your heart calming and your thinking becoming clearer.
Table of Contents One-Line Life Quotes: Carefully selected words that gently nudge you forward Preconceptions turn the possible into the impossible. Shohei Ohtani What is hard to gain and easy to lose is time. Yoshida Shōin Starting something is not scary. What’s scary is starting nothing. Michael Jordan Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever. Mahatma Gandhi Today, too, is a day of a lifetime. Yukichi Fukuzawa God doesn’t want us to succeed; He only wants us to try. Mother Teresa Actually, there isn’t a single person who’s completely safe/harmless/without flaws. Gorgo Matsumoto The greatest glory in living is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Nelson Mandela Thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits, habits become character, and character becomes destiny. Margaret Thatcher The dreams you hold tend to produce results roughly proportional to your life. Masayoshi Son There is only one way to succeed: never give up. Jeff Bezos Life is short, my friend, so we have no time to make a fuss or quarrel. John Lennon No matter how distant a dream you have, as long as you believe in your own potential, it’s within reach. Hermann Hesse I decided not to quit while I was still in my prime, but to keep throwing even if I fall from grace and end up in tatters. Hideo Nomo Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. Anne Frank All misfortunes are nothing but stepping stones to the future. Thoreau Some believe that clinging makes you stronger. But sometimes, letting go is what makes you strong. Hermann Hesse The key to resisting stress is being moved—above all else. And it’s also the secret to a long life. Shigeta Saitō If you fail, you can try again. If trying again doesn’t work, think it through once more and try again. Konosuke Matsushita Beyond the clouds, the sky is always blue. Louisa May Alcott If you believe in yourself, there are no limits. Cristiano Ronaldo If you worry about what you don’t have, you’ll waste what you do have. Ken Keyes Jr. The most important thing is to find what you love. Kobe Bryant 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 Always be yourself, express yourself, and believe in yourself. Don’t imitate some successful person’s example. Bruce Lee Doing things without changing what I aim for Ryo Ishikawa I wonder what truly matters to me. Who are the people who are truly important to me? I feel like just sincerely pondering these two things is enough to lead a good life. Shigesato Itoi There’s no need to look back. There are countless paths ahead of you. Lu Xun Happiness is always decided by your own heart. Mitsuo Aida Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value. Albert Einstein I don’t resent at all that my start was an unfortunate one. Coco Chanel You only realize your own strength once you’ve overcome your anxieties and concerns. Serena Williams It is not noble to be superior to others. Ernest Hemingway If you carry out the result of gratitude first, the joy that causes it will arrive afterward. Tempū Nakamura Being honest doesn’t necessarily lead to having many friends. But it always leads to having true friends. John Lennon It’s not that we don’t try because it’s difficult. It becomes difficult because we don’t try. Lucius Annaeus Seneca What matters is not who you’ve been up to now, but who you’ll be from here on. Ella Fitzgerald Lifelong learning, lifelong youth. Mitsuo Aida Only one thing is necessary: believe you can do it. Anthony Robbins If you think you can, you can; if you think you can’t, you can’t. This is an unshakable, absolute law. Pablo Picasso Be true to the dreams of your youth. Friedrich von Schiller Dreams—nothing else creates the future. Victor Hugo Even when life doesn’t go well, it’s sometimes necessary not to blame yourself too much and to think that society is at fault. Sweat you shed never lies Chiyonofuji Mitsugu The fence isn’t built by others; it’s built by yourself. Aristotle Only the weak are unable to forgive; forgiveness is a sign of strength. Gandhi To challenge yourself is to grow. LeBron James Life and work outcomes = mindset × enthusiasm × ability Kazuo Inamori Your happiness in life depends on the quality of your thoughts. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus People deserve praise or blame solely based on whether they have the perseverance to see things through. Leonardo da Vinci No matter how much criticism I receive, I will stick to the path I believe in. Yoshihide Suga The attitude of refusing to listen to any criticism is wrong, but so is getting depressed when you hear it. Tarō Asō My soul will tell me when it’s time to move forward. Oprah Winfrey Don’t rush. But don’t give up. Shigeta Saitō Above all, the most important thing is to enjoy life, to feel happiness—that’s all that matters. Audrey Hepburn In life, “success” is not guaranteed. However, in life, “growth” is guaranteed. Yuji Nakazawa The best investment, in my opinion, is investing in yourself. Warren Buffett The loneliest are the strongest. Keita Goto Results will follow later. Ichiro Joy must have sorrow, and sorrow must have joy. Goethe The key to success is to start right now. Mark Twain I think you should do what you like. Seiji Chihara Success and failure mean the same thing. Seiji Chihara I want to teach the people booing me that in life, the time for revenge always comes. Juan Sebastián Verón Talent can change depending on how you choose to live your life afterward. Dragan Stojković You only get one chance. That’s why I’m always prepared. Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri The one who thinks it’s the beginning is me, and the one who thinks it’s already the end is also me. Federico Fellini Those who do not learn blame others. Those who are beginning to learn blame themselves. Those who understand what it means to learn blame no one. I want to be someone who keeps on learning. Kazu Miura If I can’t make it at 30, I’ll do it at 34—and if that doesn’t work, I’ll do it at 38. I’m never giving up. Masashi Nakayama May music lift the burdens from your life and help you share happiness with others. Ludwig van Beethoven Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. Thomas Alva Edison I want to aim for the place I couldn’t reach. Tanaka Marcus Tulio So that’s it—that’s the blue bird we’ve been searching for. We went so far to look for it, but it was really here all along. Maurice Maeterlinck It isn’t easy to surpass the great heroes of the past. But who can say for sure that you can’t? Dimitar Berbatov It’s in the worst situations that our humanity is truly tested. Don’t trust people who try to run away or hide in those moments. Alan Shearer Even if it means taking a bit of a detour, I believe that as long as you don’t forget your goal, you’ll get there someday. Shunsuke Nakamura What matters is not missing the moment. Even if a chance comes around, it’s meaningless if you don’t deliver results. Iker Casillas Fernández Only those who keep challenging themselves can seize success. W. Clement Stone If the system can win, there’s no need for a manager (or coach). Arthur Antunes Coimbra (Zico) Do not neglect self-discipline, or else human progress will come to a halt. Guus Hiddink Because there is a premise of happiness, we are able to find unhappiness. Kazlaser It’s okay. Let’s rebuild again. Akio Tadano If you endure, you will surely become a strong person. Senichi Hoshino Prepare pessimistically, act optimistically. Kazuo Inamori Humans will end up happy anyway. Kazlaser If you don’t give up on yourself, there is no such thing as losing in life. Shigeta Saitō Eliminate mental wavering by returning to the origin. Yuto Nagatomo Effort opens every door. Jean de La Fontaine You can just be yourself. Mother Teresa It’s important to honestly admit your own ignorance. If you do, someone will surely appear who will teach you enthusiastically. Walt Disney Think about a problem from every possible angle until you find a solution, but once it’s solved, never worry about it again. Dale Carnegie [Life One-Liner Quotes] Carefully Selected Words That Gently Push You Forward (41–50) Be true to the dreams of your youth. Friedrich von Schiller What did you want to be when you were a child? A firefighter, a police officer, a baker, a candy shop owner…
You probably had all sorts of dreams.
But as we grow up and spend our days simply working through tasks, we begin to forget what we wanted to do and who we wanted to become.
In such times, remember the words of Friedrich von Schiller.
In those days when you were purely pursuing something…
your dream may still be there.
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Dreams—nothing else creates the future. Victor Hugo I wonder what I’ll become in the future.
Isn’t this something everyone thinks about at least once? The answer can be found in Victor Hugo’s famous words.
The future is, in other words, what lies ahead.
No one knows what your future will be.
But one thing can be stated clearly: its creator is you.
Your dreams, goals, and ideals will guide your path and shape your future.
So please don’t forget to keep holding on to your dreams.
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Even when life doesn’t go well, it’s sometimes necessary not to blame yourself too much and to think that society is at fault. These words teach us the importance of not blaming ourselves too much and of paying attention to problems in social structures and the environment.
For example, there are young people who want to become full-time employees but have few job openings and are forced to work in non-regular positions or for low wages.
There are also situations where tuition and housing costs are so high that people can’t pursue their dreams.
If we only think, “It’s because I didn’t try hard enough,” we can be crushed by the logic of personal responsibility.
What matters is recognizing the issues in society and its systems, speaking up, and calling for improvement.
These words convey the message that, in addition to individual effort, it’s necessary to adopt a perspective that reexamines fairness and the broader environment of society in order to make our lives and futures better.
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Sweat you shed never lies Chiyonofuji Mitsugu When does sweat run down our bodies? You might break out in a sweat due to changes in temperature or from fear, but if we’re talking about a sumo wrestler’s sweat, it’s surely the sweat shed during training.
Sumo is a world of competition—matches are often decided in an instant.
To rise to that decisive moment and demonstrate their true worth, wrestlers must train not only their bodies but also their minds to the utmost.
Chiyonofuji’s famous quote seems to say that tireless effort becomes one’s confidence and can, in turn, become the certainty of victory.
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The fence isn’t built by others; it’s built by yourself. Aristotle These words point you toward the idea that the feeling of others keeping their distance might actually be something you’re creating yourself.
When you sense hostility or a wall from someone, it’s important to face your own heart; by shifting your perspective, that wall may dissolve.
It conveys an encouraging message that precisely when you’re troubled by walls, you should broaden your thinking flexibly and find solutions.
It also seems like guidance that can prompt self-reflection, facing your inner self, and serve as a catalyst for growth.
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Only the weak are unable to forgive; forgiveness is a sign of strength. Gandhi Gandhi, who achieved India’s independence through nonviolence and civil disobedience.
This famous quote of his teaches us what true strength in a person really is.
Forgiving someone is not easy.
Especially when the other person is at fault, we tend to attack or hurl insults out of hatred.
Yet even in such situations, there are people who can put themselves in the other person’s shoes and choose to forgive.
They surely possess a broad and gentle heart, as well as the strength to believe in others.
Let’s strive to always keep a compassionate heart.
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To challenge yourself is to grow. LeBron James These are the words of LeBron James, one of the greatest all-around players in NBA history who has won multiple championships and MVP awards.
Having competed at the highest level for many years, he has continually set new challenges for himself.
In studying as well, facing unknown fields or difficult tasks can be unsettling, but that first step is the beginning of growth.
If you avoid challenges, nothing will change.
An attitude of tackling things without fear of failure greatly expands your knowledge and thinking skills.
It’s a quote that encourages growth, teaching us that by taking action, we can surely move forward.
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Life and work outcomes = mindset × enthusiasm × ability Kazuo Inamori Kazuo Inamori is well known for founding Kyocera and KDDI and for turning around Japan Airlines.
One of his famous sayings is that the result of life and work equals mindset × enthusiasm × ability.
In other words, to achieve your goals, your values and approach to work, your strength to overcome difficulties, and your skills all become essential.
I believe this saying contains many hints for reaching your goals once you set them.
Let’s take action and keep growing ourselves.
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Your happiness in life depends on the quality of your thoughts. 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. 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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