RAG Music - Quote Fuel for tomorrow...Change your life with leaves Fuel for tomorrow! Change your life with words that fire you up. 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.
Everyone faces setbacks and runs into walls at times.
In those moments, encountering words that resonate with your heart can give you new courage and hope.
Sometimes gentle and comforting, other times strong and encouraging, the power of words can be greater than we ever expect.
In this article, we introduce words that resonate—phrases that lift you up in various situations, whether you’re feeling down or want to push yourself forward.
You’re sure to find a single line that could become the spark to change your life.
Table of Contents Fuel for tomorrow! Change your life with words that fire you up. Accumulating small things is the only path to reach unbelievable places. Ichiro Precisely because we’re serious, we run into walls. Shuzo Matsuoka If you can’t give your all to what’s right in front of you, what can you give your all to?! Satoshi Ohno (Arashi) The only way to reach an extraordinary place is by steadily piling up small efforts. Ichiro You should have more faith in your talents and what you’ve done. Ichiro 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 What I want to tell people around the world is to make an effort. If you put your heart into it, you can achieve anything. Cindy Ngamba What matters is not practice, but the passion for practice. Pelé Impossible is not a fact, but an opinion. Muhammad Ali There is no such word as ‘limit’ in my dictionary. LeBron James There is no absolute champion. A champion is always a challenger. Kosuke Kitajima Believe in the 1% chance, believe in yourself, and believe in what you’ve done. Yuto Horigome Life doesn’t create dreams. Dreams create life. Shohei Ohtani Life isn’t for curling; curling is one of the things that make life shine. Mari Motohashi You should be honest with your feelings. Hideo Nomo When everything seems like a headwind against you, remember this: airplanes take off against the wind, not with it. Henry Ford It’s not that we run because it’s hard; it becomes hard because we run. William James 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 Challenges make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. Joshua Marin Spring comes to all living beings. Keep hope. Solid Snake 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 there were no winter, spring would not be so pleasant. Sometimes, without adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. Anne Bradstreet The shortcut to gaining confidence is to challenge what you fear—and to keep stacking memories of overcoming it. William Jennings Bryan Do not avoid the difficult path. You must move forward if you want to reach your destination. Katherine Anne Porter The problem lies in the future. That’s why I don’t look back at the past. Bill Gates In this world, there is a unique path that only you can walk. Do not ask where that path will lead. Simply press on. Friedrich Nietzsche Climb the first step without doubt. You don’t need to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step anyway. Martin Luther King No matter how many times you fall, you can start over as many times as it takes. “Failure” isn’t falling down; it’s not getting back up. Mary Pickford Dreams—nothing else creates the future. Victor Hugo Youth is the freshness of the heart. As long as one is filled with conviction and hope, brimming with courage, and continues ever-renewed activity day by day, youth will be theirs forever. Konosuke Matsushita If you don’t want to make an irreparable major mistake, you must not fear failing early. Hideki Yukawa The key to making your dreams come true is to want them like crazy. Kansai Yamamoto So what if you failed? Learn from the failure and try again. Walt Disney If you think you can, you can; if you think you can’t, you can’t. This is an unwavering, absolute law. Pablo Picasso Do not compare yourself to anyone else in this world. Bill Gates In this world, there is a unique path that no one but you can walk. Friedrich Nietzsche To become the best in the world, you need world-class effort. Keisuke Honda The story begins here. Osamu Tezuka 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 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 We came in with the resolve that even if we can realize just one or two policies that benefit the people, we will take all the criticism ourselves. Yuichiro Tamaki The attitude of striving not to betray yourself will manifest as results in the future. Yoshiharu Habu That’s why I want to change—I’m changing for myself. It’s also for everyone. Taro Yamamoto 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 Without passion, no energy is born. Without energy, it’s the same as having nothing. 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. You are never too old to set new goals or to dream new dreams. Clive Staples Lewis 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 Things you did—even if they failed—will be something you can laugh about in 20 years. But the things you didn’t do will be nothing but regrets in 20 years. Mark Twain If you’re going to think, think big. If you’re going to live, live big. Why not give it a try? Do you have anything to lose? Don’t wait for conditions to be 100% perfect before taking action. All dreams can come true—if you have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself. Coco Chanel The future is not something you predict; it’s something you make possible yourself. Saint-Exupéry The great joy in life is accomplishing what the world says, “You can’t do.” Walter Bagehot If you work hard, will you be rewarded? That’s not it. You keep working hard until you’re rewarded. Lionel Messi Effort can lie, but it never goes to waste. Yuzuru Hanyu It’s in the moments you decide that your destiny is shaped. Anthony Robbins To learn is to enrich one’s life. Albert Einstein If you believe in yourself, there are no limits. Cristiano Ronaldo Knowledge is power. Francis Bacon God does not give us trials we cannot overcome. Rikako Ikee No matter how many times a person fails, as long as they don’t lose the courage to try once more, they will surely make something of themselves. Konosuke Matsushita Only one thing is necessary: believe you can do it. Anthony Robbins Any person is capable of more than they think. Henry Ford Abundance and peace breed cowards; hardship is the mother of strength. William Shakespeare No matter how tough the situation, in the end the only thing that supports you is your ‘aspiration’ (your guiding purpose). Sanae Takaichi Rather than expecting something from others, become the one who creates change. Sanae Takaichi The word “give up” doesn’t exist in Shinji Ishimaru’s dictionary. Shinji Ishimaru If it’s just my life, I’ll bet it. Shinji Ishimaru I’ve found what to do with my life. Shinji Ishimaru There’s nothing in life more fun or exciting than doing something you’ve never done before. Seiji Chihara 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 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 Success and failure mean the same thing. Seiji Chihara While there is life, there is hope. Miguel de Cervantes If you don’t give up on yourself, there is no such thing as losing in life. Shigeta Saitō In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein You can’t change other people or the past, but you can change yourself and the future. Eric Berne I think choosing to stay a frog in a well is a form of defeat. Osamu Tezuka To win, you sometimes have to fight more than once. Margaret Thatcher What you need isn’t courage, but resolve. Once you decide, everything begins to move. Ayumu Takahashi Humans don’t lose when they’re defeated; they lose when they quit. Richard Nixon There’s no need to look back. There are countless paths ahead of you. Lu Xun Life is all about falling seven times and getting up eight! Keep standing back up and you’ll win. Nana Osaki 'NANA' Go your own way and let people say whatever they want. Dante Alighieri Rather than follow a paved path, forge your own way where there is none and move forward. Ralph Waldo Emerson If you can take one step, you can take another. Todd Skinner You wouldn’t call practice someone else made you do “effort,” would you? Goro Shigeno “MAJOR” Even if it’s a bit unkempt, living true to yourself is far more admirable. Sakata Gintoki (Gintama) Turn your wounds into wisdom. Oprah Winfrey If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Walt Disney Once you’ve chosen a path, never give up. Katharine Hepburn ...to be continued Fuel for tomorrow! Change your life with words that fire you up (41–50) Find a way. If there isn’t one, make one. Hannibal Barca Hannibal Barca, renowned as Carthage’s great general who defeated the Roman army at the Battle of Cannae.
This famous quote is undeniably the powerful words of a true commander.
In 221 BCE, at the young age of twenty-six, he became the army’s commander and achieved numerous victories.
Perhaps this was because, as the quote suggests, he constantly sought ways to win, and if none could be found, he would create them himself.
His lofty ambition and unwavering resolve elevated him to a great general and made him a figure remembered and spoken of to this day.
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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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We came in with the resolve that even if we can realize just one or two policies that benefit the people, we will take all the criticism ourselves. Yuichiro Tamaki You can often feel the passion in Mr.
Tamaki’s messages, can’t you? A lack of interest in politics and distrust toward it are feelings that many citizens likely share today.
In that context, Mr.
Tamaki seeks to face the public head-on.
His words convey a genuine commitment to “politics for the people.” He has also clearly stated, “If it benefits the people, we will accept and confront criticism of our actions.” Listening to his passionate message makes you feel that Japan really might change.
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The attitude of striving not to betray yourself will manifest as results in the future. Yoshiharu Habu Yoshiharu Habu is a shogi player who achieved the first-ever lifetime seven-crown title in the shogi world and has served as president of the Japan Shogi Association since 2023.
His famous quote, “The attitude of making efforts that don’t betray yourself will manifest as results in the future,” carries special weight precisely because Habu, with his stoic approach, has achieved such lofty goals.
If your actions betray the ideal you envision for yourself, your future will be closed off.
This message teaches us that by facing what we set for ourselves with sincerity, the path to our dreams will open.
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That’s why I want to change—I’m changing for myself. It’s also for everyone. Taro Yamamoto These words express the motivation and conviction of someone aiming to become a politician: that a nation and its politics should fundamentally support its people, and that the current reality—where this is not the case—must be changed.
They convey a passionate realization upon learning about the suffering of people they hadn’t known about before, and a sense that politics needs to be transformed.
The message also communicates a desire to change politics for oneself and for the many who are suffering, and a call for support to achieve that goal.
Because these sentiments are voiced alongside lamentations about the present situation, the determination to bring about change feels even stronger.
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No matter how much criticism I receive, I will stick to the path I believe in. Yoshihide Suga These words from Yoshihide Suga are ones I hope you’ll remember when you’re feeling weak.
I’m sure each of you has something you’ve decided for yourself, no matter how small.
There will be times when others offer opinions or criticize what you’ve decided.
It may be difficult to stick to what you believe is right.
Precisely because these are the words of someone who has acted without bending his convictions, they carry weight and persuasiveness.
At the same time, they also express the importance of taking responsibility for what you decide and putting it into action.
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The attitude of refusing to listen to any criticism is wrong, but so is getting depressed when you hear it. Tarō Asō This message clearly conveys the difficult theme of how to face criticism.
If you shut your ears, you lose chances to grow; if you take everything to heart, your spirit will break.
It argues for the importance of avoiding those extremes: maintaining your own center while taking in only the feedback you need.
Especially in today’s world, where we’re easily swayed by ratings and noise, it urges us to be calm and strong.
It teaches the sense of distance needed to protect yourself while moving forward.
A practical quote that teaches mental resilience.
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Without passion, no energy is born. Without energy, it’s the same as having nothing. If you want to accomplish something, you need to pursue it with passion.
Without passion, you won’t feel motivated, and there’s no way you can keep running all the way to the goal.
That passion is the very energy that drives action.
If you can’t find passion, even exceptional talent or ability won’t be fully utilized.
If you want to achieve something great or live a fulfilling, wonderful life, please find something that ignites your passion.
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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. If you admit defeat, you lose…
If you read just that part, it gives the impression of being stubborn and unwilling to give up, but if you read on, you can understand what President Trump is trying to say.
Admitting defeat means giving up on that fight.
Once you give up the fight, the path that leads to the future is cut off.
But as long as you don’t give up, there may be a chance to turn the situation around.
It’s important to acknowledge failures and unfavorable circumstances while maintaining a strong, unwavering heart that doesn’t give up.
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