Messages from inspiring great figures that move the heart! Motivational quotes to uplift yourself
When you’re pursuing your dreams and goals, or throwing yourself into daily work or school club activities, aren’t there times when your spirit feels like it might break even if you have great ambitions? The more serious you are, the more grave things can feel when you face difficulties.
In such moments, having words that support your heart might help you shift your mindset.
So this time, we’ve compiled a list of “quotes to inspire yourself” from great figures and well-known people.
From words that give you a strong push forward to those that gently stay by your side, we’ve gathered a wide range—so try finding the ones that resonate with you.
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Messages from inspiring great figures that move the heart! Motivational quotes to encourage yourself (1–10)
People deserve praise or blame solely based on whether they have the perseverance to see things through.NEW!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.
If you try, you can achieve; if you don’t try, you won’t. Whatever fails to be accomplished fails because people do not attempt it.NEW!Uesugi Yōzan
Uesugi Yōzan was a mid-Edo period feudal lord and the 9th daimyō of the Yonezawa Domain in Dewa Province.
These words are said to be a lesson he composed and gave to his retainers.
Both “為す” (nasu) and “成す” (nasu) are pronounced the same.
“為す” means to take action; “成す” means to accomplish something.
In other words, if you try, you can do it.
You can’t do anything if you don’t try.
If something can’t be done, it’s because the person doesn’t attempt it.
These words teach the importance of effort and taking action.
No success for those without dreams.NEW!Yoshida Shōin
Yoshida Shoin was a samurai of the Edo period and also an educator.
He founded the Shoka Sonjuku and is known for having mentored figures such as Ito Hirobumi and Takasugi Shinsaku.
His saying “Those without dreams cannot succeed” is actually part of a longer passage: “Those without dreams have no ideals; those without ideals have no plans; those without plans have no execution; those without execution have no success.
Therefore, those without dreams have no success.” These words teach us that to achieve our goals, we must first set them and then carry out the plans to accomplish them.
Messages from great figures that stir the soul! Inspirational quotes to motivate yourself (11–20)
As you stretch yourself to broaden your horizons, it’s possible you’ll actually grow taller. That’s part of what makes life interesting.NEW!Saburō Shiroyama
This quote left by the novelist Saburō Jōyama teaches us the importance of taking on challenges.
Don’t you sometimes find yourself thinking with a narrow perspective? It’s easy to let yourself be carried along without broadening your view or attempting anything new.
But if you widen your perspective just a little, you may realize that what you face is easier to overcome than you thought.
When you stretch yourself to take on a challenge, you begin to see a different landscape—as if you’ve actually grown taller.
When you want to take that first step, remember these words.
Unless the whole world becomes happy, individual happiness is impossible.NEW!Kenji Miyazawa
These are words by Kenji Miyazawa, the poet and writer of children’s stories famous for the poem “Be Not Defeated by the Rain.” Kenji Miyazawa is also known for works such as Night on the Galactic Railroad, The Restaurant of Many Orders, and Matasaburo of the Wind.
All humans live by supporting one another.
Even if we feel as though we live on our own, it’s hard to completely separate ourselves from others.
In other words, unless those around us are happy and the entire world becomes happy, our own happiness cannot truly exist.
Not only do we want our own happiness, but we also want the people around us and people across the world to be happy—these are words to keep close to heart.
It is the heart that makes a world without amusements into an interesting one.NEW!Shinsaku Takasugi
“Make an unamusing world amusing”…
It is said that Shinsaku Takasugi composed only this upper line.
Shinsaku Takasugi was a feudal retainer of the Choshu domain at the end of the Edo period and is known as the founder of the Kiheitai militia.
He fell ill before fulfilling his ambitions, and this is the verse he composed at that time.
The lower line, “It is the heart that makes a place livable,” is said to have been composed by Nomura Botoni, who was nursing him.
Takasugi wrote that whether one lives amusingly in a world that is, by nature, not amusing depends on one’s state of mind, while Nomura Botoni answered that whether the world feels unamusing or not also depends on one’s own feelings.
It’s a verse through which you can enjoy the differing values of Shinsaku Takasugi and Nomura Botoni.
If you truly fought for what is right, there’s no shame in losing.Katherine Anne Porter
Katherine Anne Porter, an American political activist who worked across a wide range of fields as a journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and poet.
Her message, “If you’ve fought truly for the right thing, there is no shame in losing,” may sustain us even when we face unwanted outcomes.
Not only in struggles but also when we act on our convictions, results don’t always follow.
Outcomes matter, of course, but what truly counts is what we were striving for; this famous quote teaches us that if we gave our all, there is no need to regret the result—even if it is a disappointing one.
