When you’re feeling down, remember these words that can save you in tough times.
There are times in daily life when you feel down—like when you have a fight with a friend, go through a heartbreak, or make a mistake at work.
If it’s something you can solve by thinking it through, that’s great.
But aren’t there times when, no matter how much you think, only negative thoughts come to mind and you just can’t stay positive?
This time, we’re sharing words that can save you in those tough moments—phrases to remember when things are hard.
We’ve compiled a wide range, from gentle words that offer comfort to powerful ones that push you forward.
Find the ones that resonate with you!
- It soothes a cornered heart! Words to say to someone who’s mentally exhausted.
- Words that embrace a wounded heart... Comforting sayings by great and notable figures
- Words to remember when you feel like running away—phrases to rally a weakened heart.
- A prescription for a weary heart! What comforting words can support and reassure you?
- Words that gently illuminate a downcast heart—the kind that make you happy from that very moment.
- Words from great and famous people that make you forget negativity in an instant!
- Tears overflow and won’t stop. A collection of moving quotes that gently reach the heart.
- Words that gently wrap around a heart that has grown cold... heartwarming words.
- Even a single word can save your heart! Uplifting, happy words that make you feel positive
- Powerful yet gentle, words that save the heart... Encouraging words that lift you up in tough times.
- Powerful words give you a push! Words that help you try even harder than before.
- [Heart-Touching] Quotes That Keep You Going Anytime! Fiery Words That Push You Forward
- Heartwarming words, a single phrase gently lights up your tomorrow.
When you're feeling down, remember these: words that can save you in tough times (11–20)
Hesitation is proof of motivation.Shizuo Takano
Hesitating over decisions is often talked about as a bad thing, isn’t it? People say that if you have a firm core within yourself, you can make snap judgments.
But you could also see hesitation as a sign that you’re engaging with the matter seriously.
Shizuo Takano, a key figure behind the development of VHS, captured that idea in a single, exhilarating phrase.
For those who often find themselves hesitating precisely because they care so deeply, Takano’s words can be truly encouraging.
Just because you’ve been beaten down doesn’t mean you have to get discouraged. Even after all that beating and whipping, eggs still make a cake rise.Mary Johnston
When you get beaten down by others—scolded or belittled—it’s natural to feel discouraged.
But there’s no need to sink into despair, as the American writer Mary Johnston reminds us.
She uses the analogy that even if you beat cake batter vigorously, once it’s baked it rises soft and fluffy.
In the same way, no matter how much you’re knocked around, you don’t have to cave in; one day you’ll achieve results.
Her words can be the spark that helps you look forward even when you’re feeling down.
Precisely because we’re serious, we run into walls.Shuzo Matsuoka
As we keep taking on challenges, the walls we face can require real resolve to overcome, and some people may feel their spirits break.
These are words from Shuzo Matsuoka that offer a way of thinking about such walls and call on us to face them positively.
He says that feeling a wall is proof you’ve been confronting things that seriously, and urges you to first take pride in yourself for having challenged yourself enough to reach that wall.
His words also carry encouragement: because you’ve built up enough to even feel that wall, you can surely get over it and move forward.
Unless one has eaten bread with tears, one cannot know the taste of life.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
These are words that appear in Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was active as a poet in Germany.
They speak to the idea that life is not composed only of joyous times, but also includes deep sorrow and loneliness, and that it is precisely these experiences that lead to the richness of life.
It expresses that life’s depth is revealed through negatives such as sadness, suffering, and solitude—that they are not merely bad.
It also suggests that rather than stopping and seeing suffering as something purely negative, it is important to move forward from it.
Do not laugh at those who have fallen. They tried to walk.Seiichiro Yonekura
These are the words of Seiichiro Yonekura, expressing how wonderful failure can be, even though many people laugh at it.
If you fell, it means you had been walking up to that point—failure is proof that you took action.
It also feels like a question directed at those who laugh at someone who has fallen: are they really moving forward themselves, and do they have the right to laugh at failure? It’s the kind of message that affirms the effort someone has made up to their setback and gives them the courage to keep walking.
If you don’t give up on yourself, there is no such thing as losing in life.Shigeta Saitō
Dr.
Shigeta Saito, a psychiatrist and author of various works that bring sparkle to life, left behind words that give us the strength to live boldly.
In life, there are many chances to lose—losing in a contest, failing at work.
But his words tell us that as long as we don’t give up on our own path, we never truly lose.
Even when we suffer a setback, let’s change our mindset—“Next time I’ll try this,” “I’ll approach it from a different angle”—and keep at it without giving up!
Believe that someday, your turn for a chance will surely come.Yasushi Akimoto
These words are from Yasushi Akimoto, a music producer who has produced numerous groups such as Onyanko Club, the 48 groups, and the Sakamichi groups.
To achieve your dreams and goals, the first step is to believe.
If you stay in a negative mindset—thinking, “It’s impossible even if I try,” or “Who knows how it will turn out”—you won’t even feel like putting in the effort.
But if you positively believe that your chance will definitely come someday, the motivation to work hard will naturally arise.
Believe firmly in yourself and your goals, and keep building your efforts steadily, one step at a time.
If you can dream it, you can achieve it.Walt Disney
As you keep working toward your goals, your mindset naturally evolves, and there are moments when you start to question whether your original goal was right.
These are words left by Walt Disney that remind us of how we felt when we first set our dreams and goals, and reignite the drive to pursue them.
He tells us that dreaming is essential to making anything a reality, and that if we can hold on to that sense of aspiration, it becomes the power that moves us forward.
If you can clearly recall the original dream that was your starting point, you may also be able to look back more solidly on everything you’ve built up so far.
If you keep looking down, you won’t find a rainbow.Charlie Chaplin
When your heart is heavy, your gaze unconsciously lowers and your field of view in daily life narrows.
These are the words of Charlie Chaplin, the King of Comedy, speaking to how a downward gaze causes even casual happiness to slip by unnoticed.
Rainbows appear only in the sky after the rain, and to find them you have to look up; if you keep looking down, you won’t find happiness either.
His words encourage us to face forward and broaden our view, reminding us that doing so can increase the chances of a better future.
You can just be yourself.Mother Teresa
Comparing ourselves to others is something that happens all the time in daily life, and sometimes it can even bring us down.
Here is a famous quote from Mother Teresa that rejects such comparisons and speaks to the importance of moving forward in your own way.
It tells us that the first step is to know yourself, and with that firmly in mind, to live as you are—without comparing yourself to anyone else.
These words can also be a spark for building confidence in yourself.