RAG Music - Quote If you know this, life…? A collection of memorable quotes If you know them, they might become beacons that light your life’s path: a collection of memorable quotes. 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.
In life, worries never seem to end—whether it’s the busyness of each day or anxieties about the future.
At times like these, having something to serve as a guiding star might help you move forward along the path you believe in without hesitation.
With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of memorable quotes.
From sayings that remind you of what truly matters to words that meet you where you are, you’re sure to find something that resonates with your current state of mind.
I hope you’ll recall them whenever you stumble and feel unable to take another step.
Table of Contents If you know them, they might become beacons that light your life’s path: a collection of memorable quotes. Even if you can’t become a great person, you can become a good person. Juji Nakano If you can take one step forward, you can take another. Todd Skinner Whether I’m happy or not is something only I can decide. Matsuko Deluxe The best revenge is to achieve overwhelming success. Frank Sinatra Believe that someday, your turn for a chance will surely come. Yasushi Akimoto You are the one who sets your own limits. If you decide for yourself that this is as far as you can go, that becomes your limit. Usain Bolt Life has value only when it is lived for someone else. Albert Einstein The opposite of success isn’t failure, it’s not trying. Norio Sasaki Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. Helen Keller Luck doesn’t just happen. Opportunity comes only to those who are thoroughly prepared. Masatoshi Koshiba There’s the character for ‘pain’ (辛). It looks like it’s just a little bit away from becoming ‘happiness’ (幸). Tomihiro Hoshino Since we are being kept alive, let’s simply feel grateful. We are being allowed to live because our lives have value. Jakuchō Setouchi To have been born into this world—that in itself is the greatest opportunity, isn’t it? Ayrton Senna Even if it doesn’t lead to immediate results, the struggle to move forward will surely become a source of strength for living. Hiromitsu Ochiai 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 Don’t listen to others’ expectations. Live your own life and meet your own expectations. Tiger Woods Always be yourself, express yourself, and believe in yourself. Don’t imitate some successful person’s example. Bruce Lee Prioritizing the team’s victory over personal glory ultimately leads to individual success as well. Lionel Messi Beyond the clouds, the sky is always blue. Louisa May Alcott Happiness is always decided by your own heart. Mitsuo Aida There is always a new discovery to be made from failure. Koichi Tanaka Genius is finite; effort is infinite. Kiyoshi Nakamura Challenges make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. Joshua Marin At times, leave the beaten path and venture into the forest. There, you will surely discover something new that you have never seen before. Alexander Graham Bell If you think you can, you can; if you think you can’t, you can’t. This is an unshakable, absolute law. Pablo Picasso If you have a clear dream and a clear goal, the path will surely open up. Mahatma Gandhi If you don’t want to make an irreparable major mistake, you must not fear failing early. Hideki Yukawa The fence isn’t built by others; it’s built by yourself. Aristotle There is only one way to succeed: never give up. Jeff Bezos Saying it must be this way just because it’s been that way for only 50 or 100 years is strange; I want to try absolutely everything without taboos. Kimi Onoda The strength to protect what should be protected and to change what should be changed Kimi Onoda It’s a blessing to be able to work so much that there’s no time to even feel the passage of time. Kimi Onoda Find a way. If there isn’t one, make one. Hannibal Barca 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 As you stretch yourself to broaden your horizons, it’s possible you’ll actually grow taller. That’s part of what makes life interesting. Saburō Shiroyama Unless the whole world becomes happy, individual happiness is impossible. Kenji Miyazawa I think being honest is the simplest and easiest way to live. Yuichiro Tamaki Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Yoshihide Suga That’s fine—people should live their own way. Tarō Asō If you admit defeat, you lose. Even if you acknowledge how bad the situation is, as long as you are determined to see it through to the end, a chance to win will emerge. In life, there is no such thing as being frozen forever. Winter will inevitably turn into spring, and when the time comes, beautiful flowers will bloom. Joseph Murphy In the new year, even small things are fine—let’s set tasks for ourselves one by one and keep to them. Isn’t that the shortcut to building what we call our true selves? Kazuko Watanabe It is not noble to be superior to others. Ernest Hemingway If you stay focused, you can overcome any obstacle. Warren Buffett If you believe in yourself, there are no limits. Cristiano Ronaldo Obstacles before you are opportunities. By facing difficulties, you can grow. Kevin Durant To solve a problem, don’t run away from it. Jack Dorsey You only realize your own strength once you’ve overcome your anxieties and concerns. Serena Williams As long as you keep challenging yourself, failure does not exist. Mark Zuckerberg Nothing is impossible. Muhammad Ali To challenge yourself is to grow. LeBron James Don’t rush. But don’t give up. Shigeta Saitō Go where you want to go. Otherwise, you’ll never find an answer. Who cares what anyone says? Naoto Sawamura If you’re afraid of criticism, you can’t change anything. Sanae Takaichi When you resign yourself to the possibility of failure, your heart feels lighter. Jeff Bezos In life, you have to make up your own mind and see it through. Taro Okamoto Whether you are happy or not depends on yourself. Aristotle If you start counting your blessings, you will soon become happy. Arthur Schopenhauer Do not anticipate difficulties. Do not trouble your mind over things that may never happen. Always keep sunshine in your heart. Benjamin Franklin Even if you’re knocked down 99 times, all you need is to stand up the 100th time. Vincent van Gogh The best time isn’t only once. If you keep climbing, can’t you think that every day is the best? Gorō Zaizen Please keep your heart burning. Shinji Ishimaru If you truly have a sense of urgency, you should be able to make up your mind. Shinji Ishimaru If you don’t worry about titles, I’m just a regular person. Kazlaser If you barge right in, the other person will speak more frankly, and you’ll be able to understand each other on a deeper level, right? Seiji Chihara I want you to put in effort in a way that suits you and isn’t misguided. Seiji Chihara Because there is a premise of happiness, we are able to find unhappiness. Kazlaser If we were just one minute earlier, we could save one more person. Calvin Coolidge He who fails to prepare is preparing to fail. Benjamin Franklin 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 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 Nature is an impartial and merciless enemy. Society is an unjust enemy with human sentiment. Soseki Natsume In a country riddled with earthquakes and volcanoes like this, nuclear power plants are out of the question. Hayao Miyazaki Natural disasters strike when we least expect them. Torahiko Terada Earthquakes will strike again and again. To prevent severe damage, we will build parks and roads. Shinpei Gotō If you endure, you will surely become a strong person. Senichi Hoshino Prepare pessimistically, act optimistically. Kazuo Inamori Fundamental talent is believing that you are capable of something. John Lennon Practice as if it’s the real thing; perform as if it’s just practice. Miyamoto Musashi Precisely because we’re serious, we run into walls. Shuzo Matsuoka You are the one who creates the story. Shape your life all the way to the ending just the way you like. Joseph Murphy When one door is closed, many more are open. Bob Marley In this world, there is a unique path that no one but you can walk. Friedrich Nietzsche The world is full of hardships, but it is also overflowing with ways to overcome them. Helen Keller Only one thing is necessary: believe you can do it. Anthony Robbins If you don’t give up on yourself, there’s no such thing as “losing” in life. Shigeta Saitō What will have changed in ten years, you ask? What matters more are the things that won’t change even after ten years. Jeff Bezos Trust in others, but trust yourself a hundred times more. Osamu Tezuka There is no past or future; there is only the present moment. Leo Tolstoy What matters is not the length of life, but its depth. Ralph Waldo Emerson As long as you don’t lose to yourself, it isn’t defeat. Eleanor Roosevelt It’s hope and confidence that make things happen. Helen Keller To win, you sometimes have to fight more than once. Margaret Thatcher Deciding means taking action. Lucy Maud Montgomery Do not be conceited, do not compare yourself with others, and live with a light heart, finding things amusing. Kirin Kiki There’s no need to look back. There are countless paths ahead of you. Lu Xun Anyone who misses the wind they wanted to ride is a fool. Tora from 'Ushio and Tora' Nothing makes you regret more deeply than indecision. René Descartes ...to be continued Could knowing these become beacons that light your life? A collection of memorable quotes (141–150) If we had nothing to regret, life would be very empty. Vincent van Gogh A “life without regrets” is something everyone probably wishes for.
But in a sense, such a life might be dull.
Having no regrets can also be taken to mean never challenging yourself and never moving from a safe place.
As long as people live seeking something, they are bound to fail and to feel regret—that itself can be called proof of having truly lived.
Failure and regret are opportunities to grow.
If you think of them as things necessary to make life more fulfilling, doesn’t it make you feel a little lighter?
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Great achievements are not made by a momentary impulse, but are accomplished through the accumulation of small things. Vincent van Gogh If you feel you tend to heat up quickly and cool off just as fast, why not keep this quote in mind? These are words left by Van Gogh, reminding us that to achieve great things, what matters is not fleeting emotions or actions, but how we sustain and build upon our passion and conviction.
Van Gogh kept painting throughout his life, believing in himself even without anyone’s recognition.
I hope you, too, find something you can be absorbed in for a lifetime, just like Van Gogh.
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Great things are accomplished by the accumulation of small things. Vincent van Gogh It means that steadily continuing with small things is precisely what leads to great success.
I think people honestly want to succeed easily, but it doesn’t work that way so often, does it? In the end, to accomplish something big, you have to move forward step by step.
Continuing to make an effort isn’t easy, but persistence is arguably the fastest route to success.
Even small matters that seem unrelated to anything might actually be indispensable pieces of your life.
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Do not search for beautiful scenery; find something beautiful within the scenery. Vincent van Gogh Hearing this quote, many of you may have felt a jolt of recognition.
I think it’s a wonderful phrase as a life lesson.
When you feel your surroundings are terribly dull, it’s easy to blame environmental factors.
Yet someone else might find something marvelous in that very same place.
By slightly changing your perspective, your life could become richer.
Since Van Gogh painted in such a distinctive way, perhaps he could see a beauty in the landscape that others could not.
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Walls (obstacles) only appear to those who are capable. Ichiro These are words of wisdom from Ichiro, the former professional baseball player who became the first Japanese position player in the Major Leagues and left behind numerous achievements.
He goes on to say, “Challenges only come to those who have the potential to overcome them; that’s why I believe that when there’s a wall, it’s a chance.” A wall is a test that appears precisely because you’ve kept taking on challenges, and it’s given to you because you have the strength to overcome it—his message feels so encouraging.
With a shift in mindset, a crisis can turn into an opportunity.
Doesn’t it make your heart race to think that new possibilities for yourself are spreading out just beyond that wall?
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It’s not that we run because it’s hard; it becomes hard because we run. William James These are the words of William James, an American philosopher and psychologist.
When something painful happens, we sometimes choose to run away.
However, he says that it’s because we run away that it becomes even more painful.
There are several ways to interpret this, but one possible interpretation is that if you face the challenge and overcome it, you can come to see that the painful experience was a necessary trial.
Conversely, if you run away, only the painful memory remains.
So when you face a harsh difficulty, it might be good to remember these words and choose to take on the challenge.
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Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Abraham Lincoln These are famous words left by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation and led the country to victory in the Civil War.
Many of us have felt discouraged when our efforts didn’t yield results, or have even given up partway through.
In such moments, these words give us the courage to face difficulties.
They’re like a protective charm, perfect not only for those challenging themselves or working hard, but also for anyone who has found a new goal.
Believe in these words and keep striving.
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Talent is the passion that endures. Guy de Maupassant These are words about talent left by the French writer Guy de Maupassant, who was active from the 1880s to the 1890s.
It often seems that talented people achieve success, but when we ask, “So what exactly is talent?” this quote provides the answer.
In other words, continuing to move toward your dreams and goals and to keep making efforts is the way to succeed.
When we want to realize our dreams or goals, we should remember these words and keep them close to our hearts.
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To live is not to breathe, but to act. Jean-Jacques Rousseau Here’s a quote from Jean-Jacques Rousseau, born on Geneva’s Grand-Rue and said to have greatly influenced the French Revolution: “To live is not to breathe; it is to act.” It’s a positive saying that gives you a push when you’re struggling, isn’t it? It reminds us that life is about using our time for the purposes and goals we choose for ourselves, and taking action again and again.
It’s a lovely phrase that, when remembered in moments of hesitation, can help you take another step forward.
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If today were the last day of my life, is what I’m about to do truly what I want to be doing? Steve Jobs As one of Apple’s founders who made immense contributions, Steve Jobs had a question he would ask himself in the mirror every morning.
And if the answer was “No” for several days in a row, he believed it was time to pause and consider changing how he was living.
In this way, he strove to focus only on what he truly felt passionate about.
It’s a tip for living better that we, too, should take to heart.
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