Words that resonate in athletes’ hearts! A collection of short yet brilliant quotes

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.

Have you ever had the experience where, right before a game or during practice, a sports star’s quote suddenly comes to mind and, almost magically, fills you with strength? Sometimes a short line hits deeper than a long speech.

Words born from the joy of victory, the sting of defeat, and the moments of pushing past your limits carry a power that transcends sports and helps you move forward in everyday life.

In this article, we’ll introduce brief, resonant quotes from athletes.

You’re sure to find a single phrase that gently gives you a push.

Words that resonate with athletes’ hearts! A collection of short yet shining quotes (21–30)

There is no absolute champion. A champion is always a challenger.NEW!Kosuke Kitajima

It means that no matter how strong someone is, if they become satisfied, their growth will stop.

Truly strong people think, “I’ve still got a long way to go,” and always keep working toward new goals.

Even after winning a competition, it’s important not to relax and think “I’ve done enough,” but to keep practicing with the mindset, “Next time, I want to swim even faster.” The same applies to studying and work: people who continue to aim higher even after a success are the ones who grow.

These words gently teach us the importance of not standing still after success and of never forgetting the spirit of challenge.

A true champion is someone who always keeps moving forward.

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Believe in the 1% chance, believe in yourself, and believe in what you’ve done.NEW!Yuto Horigome

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, skateboarder Yuto Horigome competed in the men’s final.

He put up a high score in his first run, but fell in his second and couldn’t improve his total.

Meanwhile, a strong American contender posted a big score, and Horigome entered his fifth and final attempt in provisional seventh place.

By landing a high-difficulty trick, he pulled off a brilliant comeback and won the gold medal.

Horigome spoke about times he nearly gave up and how he kept believing in even a 1% chance.

It’s a memorable quote that drives home the importance of never giving up.

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Life doesn’t create dreams. Dreams create life.NEW!Shohei Ohtani

It means that how you spend each day changes depending on the dreams you have.

Rather than just drifting through life, it’s because you have a dream of “I want to become this” that you make an effort and the path you choose changes.

For example, if you dream of becoming a professional baseball player, you’ll get up early to practice and take care of your health.

Even in your studies, if you have a dream like “I want to do this kind of work in the future,” you’ll feel motivated to work hard in subjects you’re not good at.

Dreams aren’t just wishes; they teach us that they have the power to shape our future.

Whether big or small, having a dream is a step that moves your life forward.

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Expectations aren’t something to meet, but to exceed.NEW!Shohei Ohtani

It teaches a positive mindset that aims not just to meet what others ask of you, but to go beyond.

Instead of stopping at “this is good enough,” it emphasizes the importance of continually pushing yourself with the belief that “I can do more.” For example, when people expect you to “get a hit,” you don’t settle for a hit—you work with the determination to go for a home run.

In studying, too, rather than thinking “as long as I pass,” you challenge yourself to “do my very best,” which leads to growth.

These words gently show a way of thinking that turns expectations not into pressure, but into an opportunity to develop yourself.

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I won’t burn out until I win the gold medal.NEW!Hina Hayata

Hina Hayata is a Japanese table tennis player, known as one of Japan’s “golden generation of women’s table tennis” alongside Miu Hirano and Mima Ito.

“I won’t burn out until I win a gold medal”—these were her words in an interview during the Paris 2024 Olympics.

At the Paris Games, she lost in the first round of mixed doubles, won bronze in singles, and silver in the team event.

Despite competing while nursing a left wrist injury, she gave her all and moved people across Japan, yet the results were surely frustrating.

She also said, “Finishing with silver and bronze is a trial given by God.” We won’t be able to take our eyes off her at the Olympics in four years’ time!

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Life isn’t for curling; curling is one of the things that make life shine.NEW!Mari Motohashi

Mari Motohashi, who has also excelled at the Winter Olympics as a member of the curling team Loco Solare.

She started curling at the age of 12, and while curling may seem like her entire life, that’s not quite the case.

For her, curling is one element of living an enjoyable life, not something to which she dedicates her entire existence—something she conveyed in her own words.

Even athletes who compete on the world stage are human beings.

It seems she’s showing us that both challenging the world through curling and walking one’s own path as an individual are equally valid ways to live one’s life.

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Effort is always rewarded. If there is effort that isn’t rewarded, then it can’t yet be called effort.NEW!Sadaharu Oh

No matter how hard you try, things still don’t go well… At times like that, it might simply mean you haven’t put in enough effort yet.

Sadaharu Oh—who achieved numerous great feats in his playing days and later managed the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and the Japan national team—may be speaking from the weight of the effort behind his accomplishments.

While he suggests that seemingly unrewarded effort might still be lacking, there’s hope in his belief that effort will surely be rewarded.

If you’re struggling without seeing results, let these words give you the strength to push just one step further.

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