Engrave positive words in your heart! Short quotes recommended as mottos
When someone asks you in a conversation or an interview, “What is your motto?” how would you answer? A motto is a phrase you keep in mind as a guide for your actions and your life, so your answer can reveal how you think.
This time, we’ve compiled a list of short yet positive quotes that are great as personal mottos.
Simply having a motto can encourage you and keep you in check, so try finding a favorite phrase of your own.
Engrave positive words in your heart! Short quotes recommended as mottos (1–10)
In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity.Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein, a German socialist who proposed the theories of special and general relativity and is often hailed as the greatest physicist of the 20th century.
His famous saying, “In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity,” seems to teach us that there are no chances to be found on smooth and easy paths.
It’s precisely when we face obstacles and hardships—and decide to overcome or solve them—that we encounter ways of thinking and methods we hadn’t considered before.
This idea resonates with Einstein’s own life, from an unknown patent clerk to a figure celebrated as a great person.
It’s a quote worth keeping in mind throughout life and makes an excellent personal motto.
You can’t change other people or the past, but you can change yourself and the future.Eric Berne
Eric Berne, a Canadian psychiatrist known for proposing Transactional Analysis in 1957, once said, “You can’t change other people or the past, but you can change yourself and the future.” It’s a quote that makes you nod in recognition of its simple truth.
Indeed, it’s hard to change others through your efforts alone, and nothing can alter what has already happened.
But if you work at it, you can change yourself and shape what lies ahead from this moment on.
It’s a positive message that points us toward where to direct our efforts and sustains hope for the future.
Everyone has the right to determine their own destiny.Bob Marley
Singer-songwriter Bob Marley helped spread Jamaican music worldwide and raise its profile.
His famous quote, “Everyone has the right to decide their own destiny,” reminds us that we can shape our fate through our choices.
Many people, for various reasons, give up on life or get swept along by their circumstances and environment, and end up not living the life they envisioned.
This message—simple yet easily forgotten—that we decide our own lives is something we should remember as a guiding principle for living.
We read “failure” as “success.”Katsuya Nomura
These are words by Katsuya Nomura—renowned in professional baseball as a player, manager, and strategist—expressing his view on failure.
He tells us that continual growth is vital to achieving success, and that failure can be a powerful catalyst for that growth.
Rather than giving up by focusing only on the outcome, it’s important to analyze the causes of failure and apply what you learn next time.
It’s a famous quote that conveys a positive mindset: don’t lament failure—keep moving forward without giving up.
To forge great character, one must not hurry.Yoshida Shōin
Yoshida Shoin, a samurai of the Choshu domain who taught at the Shoka Sonjuku—a private academy that produced many activists who later played key roles in the Meiji Restoration—left us the famous saying, “To cultivate great vessels, one must not hurry.” It teaches that nurturing outstanding talent and character requires time and patience rather than haste.
Even today, there’s a strong tendency to prize youth, to demand immediate effectiveness without experience, and to prioritize instant results over growth and potential.
Since the timing of when one’s abilities blossom differs from person to person, this quote reminds us of the importance of building strength without rushing.
If you can dream it, you can achieve it.Walt Disney
Walt Disney was a businessman with many faces—an animation creator, animator, producer, film director, screenwriter, manga artist, voice actor, and entertainer.
His famous quote, “If you can dream it, you can do it,” carries special weight precisely because he founded The Walt Disney Company, which won worldwide popularity after many twists and turns.
Fundamentally, you can’t achieve anything without having a dream or a goal.
Because we can envision our dreams, we make the effort, and if we can picture it, this quote gives us the courage to believe we can make it real.
It’s never too late to become the person you wanted to be.George Eliot
George Eliot, a British novelist also known as one of the representative writers of the Victorian era, is credited with the famous saying, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” Many people may find courage and hope in these words.
In Japan especially, people tend to hesitate to take on new challenges because of age or circumstances.
However, once you take action, some kind of change will occur, and you can get closer to your ideal—today more than yesterday, and tomorrow more than today.
It’s a positive message that gives us a reason to forget excuses and take the first step.
If you can take one step, you can take another.Todd Skinner
The encouraging words “If you can take one step, you can take another” convey the importance of the very first step.
It takes courage to start, but once you do, a new view opens up ahead.
If you don’t step forward, nothing changes.
When you’re unsure about something, it might be good to summon your courage and take that first step.
A new path may come into sight.
I believe that small, steady efforts will eventually lead to great success.
People stumble their way toward success.Mary Kay Ash
Mary Kay Ash, the entrepreneur known as the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics in the United States, once said, “People stumble toward success.” This quote teaches us that it’s only natural to stumble precisely because the path is difficult.
If we walk an easy, level road, we can move forward without change or hardship, but it’s hard to keep going the same way on a long and rugged journey.
People tend to feel broken or give up when they stumble, but if we can believe it’s because we’re on the right path, we may find the courage to hold our ground and push forward.
No matter how dark it is, the stars are shining.Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American thinker known as a philosopher, writer, poet, and essayist—as well as a leader of Transcendentalism.
His quote, “No matter how dark it is, the stars still shine,” may sound obvious, yet it’s an easily forgotten truth.
When we feel frustrated or despairing, our hearts can shut down so completely that we can’t sense any light.
But if we realize that there is always hope, no matter the circumstances, we find the courage to move forward again.
It’s a quote that helps us remember positivity when we’re feeling down.