Wonderful quotes and sayings

Short maxims by great figures that you’ll want to etch into your heart and remember

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.

When it comes to living our lives, doesn’t everyone have their own guiding principles?

They can take many forms—relationships, work, romance, and more.

Because the criteria we use to make decisions lead directly to our actions, having a consistent core makes life easier both for yourself and for those around you.

With that in mind, here are some short maxims left to us by great figures of the past.

If you don’t yet have a clear set of guiding principles, I hope you’ll find something in this article.

And of course, even if you already have your own philosophy, I encourage you to take a look!

I want to engrave these in my heart! Short aphorisms (21–30) by great figures you should remember

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.Mahatma Gandhi

Delving into the depth of Gandhi’s words: Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever — slowly

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. Mahatma Gandhi

Watch “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. Mahatma Gandhi” on YouTube

These words from Mahatma Gandhi feel like they update our entire outlook on how to live.

For example, if we knew we were going to leave this world tomorrow, we would throw ourselves wholeheartedly into what we want to do today.

Conversely, if we were to die tomorrow, we might not bother to learn anything more.

On the other hand, if we could live forever, we would likely study hard to endure an endless life.

Gandhi’s words reconcile these two stances.

The message—to live each day so you leave no regrets, while continuing to build your learning endlessly—is something we should always keep in our hearts.

Raise the rankinglower

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

He who fails to prepare is preparing to fail.Benjamin Franklin

This is a famous quote by Benjamin Franklin—remembered as a Founding Father in the United States—about the importance of preparation.

It’s a saying that corrects the attitude of those who neglect to prepare, conveying that failing to prepare sets the stage for failure.

By deliberately expressing in a roundabout way that preparation is essential to avoid failure, it even evokes a sense of fear about failing.

The words also suggest that, to prevent all kinds of failures, it’s important to prepare broadly and thoroughly.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

I can imagine that many people are still struggling emotionally and mentally. So let’s keep supporting one another.Lady Gaga

This is a message Lady Gaga sent to the disaster-affected areas in 2021, ten years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

It shows her affection for Japan by acknowledging that recovery is still not complete even after so much time, and that emotional support is still needed.

By standing firmly with those who are suffering and grieving while encouraging them to move forward, she gives many people courage and strength.

It also conveys the impression of a message that we must not let the passage of time erode or fade the memory of their pain.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

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

I would like to introduce a famous saying by Kanzo Uchimura: “Beneath the mud lies bedrock; above the clouds and mist shines the sun.

Even at the height of complaint, happiness and hope are not absent.” Kanzo Uchimura was a Christian thinker active in the Meiji era.

Disasters can bring many hardships.

At such times, Uchimura left words he hoped we would remember.

It is said to mean that even when times are painful and difficult now, a stable and bright future surely awaits beyond.

He likens difficult situations to mud, and the bedrock represents the strength within us that lies beneath these serious problems.

Furthermore, he tells us that even when we feel or voice complaints, happiness and hope still exist.

Life brings all kinds of experiences, doesn’t it? Even so, we are reminded of the importance of maintaining a positive outlook.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Nature is an impartial and merciless enemy. Society is an unjust enemy with human sentiment.Soseki Natsume

Let me introduce a famous quote by Natsume Sōseki: “Nature is a fair yet ruthless enemy.

Society is an unjust yet compassionate enemy.” Natsume Sōseki was a Japanese novelist and scholar of English literature.

His major works include I Am a Cat, Botchan, Sanshirō, And Then, Kokoro, and Light and Darkness.

This line—“Nature is a fair yet ruthless enemy.

Society is an unjust yet compassionate enemy.”—appears in his work Reminiscences.

It’s a quote that encourages us not to underestimate nature and to prepare for natural disasters.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Natural disasters strike when we least expect them.Torahiko Terada

Here is a famous and important saying by Torahiko Terada: “Natural disasters strike when they have been forgotten.” Terada was a Japanese physicist, essayist, and haiku poet.

As a researcher, he was interested in disasters such as fires and earthquakes, and it is said that after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, he became even more deeply engaged with the subject.

This quote reminds us that the peaceful passing of everyday life without incident is not something to be taken for granted.

It is a phrase worth engraving in our hearts.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem