Engrave positive words in your heart! Short quotes recommended as mottos

Earthquakes will strike again and again. To prevent severe damage, we will build parks and roads.Shinpei Gotō

I would like to introduce a famous quote left by Shinpei Goto: “Earthquakes will come again and again.

To prevent great damage, we must build parks and roads.” From this saying, one can sense his conviction to protect human life.

Shinpei Goto devoted himself to the reconstruction after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, making present-day Tokyo a city resilient to disasters.

Immediately after the earthquake, he became Minister of Home Affairs and then Minister for Reconstruction to rebuild Tokyo, which had suffered immense damage.

Along with the quote, he conceived reconstruction measures, but at the time he faced criticism from those around him.

It is said that enormous funds were required to put them into action, and landowners opposed the purchase of tracts that had been reduced to burned-out fields by the quake.

Although his budget was cut, Goto poured his efforts into building a disaster-resilient city.

Thanks to those efforts, Tokyo became stronger against earthquakes than it had been in the past.

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Nakajima Junko

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What Japan gained after losing everything was hope… It planted the seeds of hope within us, who had been captivated by wealth.Ryu Murakami

I would like to share a famous quote by Ryū Murakami: “What Japan, having lost everything, gained was hope… It planted the seeds of hope within us, whose hearts had been captivated by wealth.” The Great East Japan Earthquake caused immense damage.

Many people must have spent their days in deep anxiety.

Yet it is precisely in such times that we must not forget “hope.” As the writer Ryū Murakami says, what we gain when everything is lost in a disaster is hope—the hope to live earnestly now and to dream of a brighter future.

In a Japan where everything is close at hand and life has become affluent, perhaps many of us have lost hope in exchange.

This also resonates with the story of Pandora’s box, in which hope remained at the end.

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Nakajima Junko

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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.

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kappamaki

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If you don’t give up on yourself, there is no such thing as losing in life.Shigeta Saitō

232 If you don't give up on yourself, you won't be defeated in life.

Psychiatrist Shigeta Saito—who was also active as an essayist and public speaker and was affectionately known as “Mota-san.” From his famous saying, “As long as you don’t give up on yourself, there is no such thing as ‘losing’ in life,” we can learn the truth that everything depends on your own mindset.

Rather than being elated or dejected by wins and losses at life’s turning points, his message teaches that true victory lies in never giving up until the end.

It’s a quote to remember when you’re on the verge of setback or when your spirit is about to break—one that gives you the courage to stand up once more.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Write it as failure, read it as growth.Katsuya Nomura

Write it as 'failure' and read it as 'growth' — 8 selected quotes [Katsuya Nomura Quotations Collection]

In Japanese professional baseball, Katsuya Nomura—who left behind countless memorable quotes as both a player and a manager—nurtured many athletes with his meticulous eye for detail and deeply human approach to coaching.

His words carry a profound insight: within failure lie the seeds of growth.

When results don’t come or things don’t go well, people tend to feel discouraged and lose confidence.

Yet it is precisely the experience of failure that becomes the lesson for what comes next and the nourishment for growth.

Far from losing anything, you are actually being given a chance to evolve.

It’s an inspiring quote that emboldens those who keep challenging themselves without fear of failure.

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mutō

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