Words I want to make my motto that always inspire me

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.

A motto is something you keep close at hand or etch into your heart as a reminder to keep yourself in check.

It’s said that people used to choose them from proverbs, idioms, and four-character compounds, but in recent years many have adopted famous quotations from great figures as their mottos.

What matters is whether it serves as a compass for your life and something you can lean on.

So this time, I’ve put together a list of words and phrases you might want to use as your motto.

They’re drawn from a wide range of sources—historical figures, business leaders, athletes, and more—so be sure to take a look!

Words I want to make my motto—phrases that always inspire me (61–70)

If you’re afraid of criticism, you can’t change anything.Sanae Takaichi

These are words Ms.

Takaichi said in an interview that express her stance on what politicians ought to do.

She argues that taking on major reforms is a necessary attitude for politicians, and that if they fear criticism, those reforms cannot move forward.

It’s a statement that conveys a determination to push ahead—listening to both support and criticism while steering politics toward a better future.

The very fact that she dares to say this suggests she is striving to change something.

Raise the rankinglower

kappamaki

Report a problem

Rather than expecting something from others, become the one who creates change.Sanae Takaichi

These are words that convey the importance of taking action, expressing a desire to become someone who can set things in motion rather than leaving them to others.

They also reflect an emphasis on personal responsibility and initiative, and carry a message encouraging many people to think for themselves.

You can also see how the idea of being the one to drive change has enabled this person to continue a long career in politics.

It suggests a political journey marked by striving to act with responsibility and conviction, and to bring about change.

Raise the rankinglower

kappamaki

Report a problem

An ideal dwells in a great soul, whereas ambition possesses a small one.Teizo Azuma

These words embody an attitude essential for physicians and researchers who save lives.

Ideals are lofty aspirations aimed at humanity’s health and future, born from a strong spirit of service to society.

Ambition, on the other hand, can be seen as a smaller desire for one’s own fame and status.

Teizo Azuma, a specialist in thoracic surgery, sharply discerned this difference and urged young doctors not to lose sight of their true purpose.

Because the medical world readily rewards results and honors, it carries the danger of becoming ensnared by ambition.

Yet to become a physician truly needed by people, one must continue to hold fast to ideals.

This is a memorable saying that questions the nature of one’s aspirations.

Raise the rankinglower

mutō

Report a problem

If you truly have a sense of urgency, you should be able to make up your mind.Shinji Ishimaru

These were words included in the process of answering questions that were asked for clarification at a financial briefing in Akitakata City.

It conveys that each municipality, including Akitakata City, is built not only by politicians but also by the people who live there, and that it is important for everyone to understand the situation.

It expresses the idea that, rather than seeing it as someone else’s problem, we should view it as our own, and that having a precise sense of urgency is essential for a better future.

It calls on many people to recognize that if we want our town to survive, we must feel the urgency, be prepared, and work together.

Raise the rankinglower

kappamaki

Report a problem

I can say with confidence that I did everything I could.Shinji Ishimaru

These are the words Mr.

Shinji Ishimaru shared at the press venue as he reflected on the election, at the very moment Ms.

Yuriko Koike’s projected victory was announced in the Tokyo gubernatorial race.

While the result alone shows he was not elected, he conveyed that he gave his all to what he could do and that he was able to leave clear meaning in his decision to run.

Another key point is that he was able to communicate his ideas to many people, and you can sense that this will likely have an impact on the future.

Because it’s a positive message about holding one’s head high, it also inspires the expectation that he will continue to give his all in his activities going forward.

Raise the rankinglower

kappamaki

Report a problem

I’ve found what to do with my life.Shinji Ishimaru

These are words from Shinji Ishimaru’s final appeal as a candidate on the day before the Tokyo gubernatorial election.

Reflecting on his path—from leaving the bank to becoming mayor of Akitakata, and then running for Tokyo governor—he says that by looking closely at the state of politics, he came to understand what he needed to do.

He conveys that acting with a sense of urgency—feeling that things couldn’t go on as they were and that he had to do something himself—has led him to this moment.

It’s a message that not only speaks to this campaign, but also signals his resolve going forward: to devote his life, wholeheartedly, to what he sees before him and believes must be done.

Raise the rankinglower

kappamaki

Report a problem

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?

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem