Beautiful words by great and famous people that illuminate life
We all get stuck sometimes, feel like our hearts are about to break, and stumble often in life.
Even when you’ve decided to move forward, you may still find yourself worrying and wavering.
In those moments, remember the wonderful words from the great and famous figures we’re introducing today.
These are quotes you’ll want to recall in many situations—dreams, love, relationships, and more.
They’re also perfect words to share with a friend or someone who’s feeling down, so be sure to check them out!
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Wonderful words by great and famous people that illuminate life (51–60)
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.
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.
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.
If you endure, you will surely become a strong person.Senichi Hoshino
These are the words of Senichi Hoshino, who excelled as a player for the Chunichi Dragons during his career and later made his mark as a manager for the Chunichi Dragons, the Hanshin Tigers, and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
During the Great East Japan Earthquake, he was the manager of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, the team from the disaster-stricken region, and his words are remembered for inspiring many people.
He conveys that no matter what difficulties you face, you should give your all in the present and confront them head-on—that strength lies along the path you advance by doing so.
Because these are the words of Hoshino, who rebuilt teams whose results had faltered, they carry real persuasive power; they are words that lift your spirits and make you want to keep pushing forward.
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.
Beautiful words by great and famous people that illuminate life (61–70)
Prepare pessimistically, act optimistically.Kazuo Inamori
Let me introduce a famous quote left by Kazuo Inamori: “Prepare pessimistically, act optimistically.” Kazuo Inamori was a Japanese entrepreneur and engineer.
He founded Kyocera and Daini Denden, which is now KDDI, and served as chairman of the Inamori Foundation, a public-interest incorporated foundation.
He was also honorary chairman of Japan Airlines.
In the planning stage, with a strong will that says, “No matter what, we must accomplish this,” one should reexamine the plan with a pessimistic eye; then, in the execution stage, with the confidence that “We can definitely do it,” one should carry it out optimistically—brightly and with dignity.
Doesn’t this conviction also apply to disaster preparedness?
Humans will end up happy anyway.Kazlaser
There are movies that don’t end with a happy ending, right? How many can you name? I dislike stories that don’t end happily—I simply won’t read, watch, or listen to them.
Depending on how you take it, I think Kazlaser’s words here can sound quite cruel, because there are people who, no matter what, can’t feel happy.
But try prefacing it with “Even so,” and then read the line: “Humans are bound to end up happy anyway.” Doesn’t it even bring Kaz’s smile to mind? It’s something I want you to remember when you feel like you’re about to lose heart.
No matter how many times a person fails, as long as they don’t lose the courage to try once more, they will surely make something of themselves.Konosuke Matsushita
Konosuke Matsushita, a business leader known by the nickname “the God of Management,” devoted himself to activities beyond the realm of business, including ethics education, publishing, and the cultivation of politicians.
His famous saying, “No matter how many times a person fails, as long as they don’t lose the courage to try ‘one more time,’ they will surely succeed,” teaches that anyone can start over as many times as needed.
When we face difficulties, everything ends the moment we give up, but as long as we keep the will to challenge ourselves, we are made to believe that our efforts will one day be rewarded.
It’s a powerful message that gives us the courage to take risks without fearing failure.
Life changes greatly when we choose gratitude over expectation.Anthony Robbins
Anthony Robbins is a world-renowned self-help author who also works as a speaker and philanthropist.
His famous quote, “Trade your expectations for appreciation and your life will change instantly,” can serve as a hint for times when life isn’t going the way you envisioned.
When we place too many expectations on things, we feel betrayed when they don’t work out.
But if we cultivate gratitude toward everything and everyone, we’re less likely to harbor those negative emotions.
It’s a quote that teaches us that the shape of our lives changes with our mindset.
With the sunlight and a cloudless blue sky, as long as I can gaze at them, how could I possibly feel sad?Anne Frank
Anne Frank, a Jewish German girl known as the author of The Diary of a Young Girl, lost her life at the age of 15.
Her famous words, “As long as this exists, and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless sky, while this lasts I cannot be unhappy,” resonate all the more because they come from a victim of the Holocaust.
Her message, expressing gratitude for life even under harsh circumstances, seems to challenge us not to forget what truly matters in our comfortable times.
It is a quote that teaches us we can find hope no matter the situation.
As long as you don’t lose to yourself, it isn’t defeat.Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady who was the wife of Franklin D.
Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, was also active as a women’s rights advocate and writer.
Many people may find strong encouragement in her famous quote, “It is not a defeat unless you accept it in your own mind.” The message that the one you must overcome is not someone else but yourself teaches us that as long as you keep challenging yourself, you cannot truly lose.
It’s a positive quote that lifts you up when you feel like your spirit is about to break.
The only people who don’t make mistakes are those who do nothing.Theodore Roosevelt
Nicknamed “Teddy,” Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was known not only as a statesman but also as a soldier, writer, hunter, explorer, and naturalist.
His famous quote, “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything,” is a message I would like to offer to anyone feeling down after making a mistake.
If you do nothing, you make no mistakes—but you also create nothing and achieve nothing.
The idea that both good and bad things happen precisely because we take action can give us the courage to keep moving forward.
Abandon yesterdayPeter Drucker
People tend to focus on the past more than the future, to a greater or lesser extent.
In particular, many of us find it hard to let go of methods that once worked and end up clinging to them.
Peter Drucker’s famous quote, “Abandon yesterday,” teaches us the futility of relying on past successes.
Of course, there’s no need to discard your own proven playbook entirely, but as you and your environment change, there’s no point in continuing approaches that no longer produce results.
It’s a message that underscores the importance of decisiveness and the ability to pivot.
Competence can be learned.Peter Drucker
When you’re in an organization, don’t you sometimes find yourself comparing yourself to people who are called “competent”? When we see someone who can do things we can’t, or things we never even imagined, anyone can start to lose confidence.
However, Peter Drucker teaches that “competence can be learned.” People who seem to have been competent from the start when viewed from the present may have acquired their abilities through unimaginable effort over the course of their lives and work.
It’s a quote that tells us people can change through effort and the way they approach things.
Even if you’re knocked down 99 times, all you need is to stand up the 100th time.Vincent van Gogh
If you’re pursuing your goals and dreams, you’ll probably fail many times.
When you fail, you can lose confidence and think, “It’s impossible for me.
I should just quit.” At times like that, remember this quote from Van Gogh: “If you fall down 99 times, get up the 100th.” With that attitude, you can overcome any failure.
They say failure is the mother of success and essential for growth, so don’t be afraid to fail—keep challenging yourself.
