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 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.

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!

Etch it into your heart! Short maxims by great figures that I want you to remember (41–50)

Honesty is the best policy.Hideyo Noguchi

These words teach us that honesty is the most trusted weapon in any situation.

At times we may be tempted to get by with lies or evasions, but in the long run, being sincere works in our favor.

In relationships and at work, it is precisely by being honest that we earn others’ trust.

If you recall this saying when facing difficulties, it will give you the courage to stand firm and confront them without running away.

It’s a straightforward quote that shows living with integrity is the shortest path to success and trust.

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Being a person with a disability is not a problem in academia.Hideyo Noguchi

These words convey the message that physical disabilities are irrelevant to learning.

Hideyo Noguchi suffered severe burns as a child and lost the full use of his left hand, yet he overcame that hardship to become a world-renowned bacteriologist.

What matters in scholarship is not the state of one’s body, but the will and effort to keep seeking knowledge.

It’s not others who impose limits on us, but our own minds.

There is no need to give up because of a disability; in fact, great achievements await beyond the challenges we overcome.

This is a famous saying that nurtures a spirit of challenge at all times.

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Grasp one principle, and you understand all things.Miyamoto Musashi

Master one thing and you will understand all things. | Miyamoto Musashi | #Quote

Grasp one principle, and you understand all things. — Miyamoto Musashi

Ukosaben is pronounced “uko-saben.” It means wavering as you look to the right and to the left, unable to decide.

While one might think that taking the long way around leads to many encounters, Musashi teaches with this phrase that if you want broad knowledge, you should master one thing.

Whether it’s training to build your ideal physique or learning a foreign language to master linguistics—anything is fine.

If you truly master that one thing, you’ll find many more open paths waiting beyond it!

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I will have no regrets in my actions.Miyamoto Musashi

Regret nothing in your actions... — A famous quote by Miyamoto Musashi #quote

I will have no regrets in my actions. Miyamoto Musashi

Big or small, I can’t help but feel that life is, to a greater or lesser extent, a series of regrets.

More often than not it’s a fruitless use of time, but drifting into thoughts like “If only I’d chosen right back then,” or “If only I’d acted immediately,” is also part of life.

Still, the truth is that everyone wants to live like Musashi—facing straight ahead and moving forward.

“I have regrets, but I do not regret.” I’d like to learn from that kind of bold resolve!

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Take the sky as a road, and see the road as the sky.Miyamoto Musashi

An unexpectedly popular character from the manga Fist of the North Star is Juuza of the Clouds.

His free-spirited personality must have made him a beloved figure.

When you’re going to school or work every day, there are days when everything just feels unbearable.

You might even want to quit living a life that runs on rails someone else laid down.

At times like that, please remember these words from Musashi.

They’ll make your heart take wing and give you the feeling you can walk your path freely.

“It’s up to you to decide how you live.” It almost feels as if he’s gently teaching us even that.

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In conclusion

This time we introduced short maxims by great figures—how did you find them? Each one is a famous quote that reflects its author’s thoughts and way of life. I’d be delighted if even one of them resonated with you, gave you the strength to move forward, or helped ease your doubts and anxieties.