「私がこの芸術の域に達するまでに、どれほどの努力を重ねているかを知ったら、芸術家になりたいとは誰も思わないだろう」(ミケランジェロ、イタリアの芸術家)”If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.”

「私がこの芸術の域に達するまでに、どれほどの努力を重ねているかを知ったら、
芸術家になりたいとは誰も思わないだろう」
If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.

Michelangelo 1475-1564
Italian artist

Looking at something, criticizing or analyzing it, and actually trying it are completely different. No matter how knowledgeable or sharp your analysis is, you can only say you understand it once you put it into practice and experience the difficulty. Behind the creation of a certain product or finished product, there are dozens, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of efforts by the creator or executor that you do not know because we have not saw and experienced it. For example, let’s say someone draws a picture with great ease. It was a very beautiful brushstroke, a precise drawing, like a photograph. The person moves the pencil quickly like a shooting star and draws lines. The object on the paper becomes three-dimensional in an instant. He is serious, but his expression is relaxed. You will think it is amazing when you see it. But in fact, he has drawn thousands, tens of thousands of drawings in the past until he was able to draw each and every line accurately, and he has devoted most of his life to drawing. The lines he draws and the movements of his hand are the result of his tireless efforts in the past. Most people don’t notice it because it’s invisible and no one says anything about it, but behind things lies the effort, time, and countless ingenuity and trial and error of the people who created them.

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「小さい夢は見るな。それには人の心を動かす力がないからだ。」(ゲーテ、19世紀ドイツの作家)“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”

「小さい夢は見るな。それには人の心を動かす力がないからだ。」
“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749-1832
German novelist

Don’t put a lid on your potential. Draw big dreams that will move people’s hearts. Age doesn’t matter when you start. No matter what age you are, as long as you have the energy, it’s the best start, the best way to embark on a journey. It’s never too late to take on a challenge. The moment you feel like taking on a challenge is the best time. So, if you want to take on something, you should move forward without hesitation. Time is limited, and the sand in the hourglass never goes backwards. Move people’s hearts with your wonderful dreams and passion.

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「私は常に前を向いていました。」(クリス・エバート、米国の元女子プロテニス選手)“I always looked ahead.”

「私は常に前を向いていました。」
“I always looked ahead.”

Chris Evert 1954-
Former American professional female tennis player

Where are you looking? Down? Back? No matter how hard you think, you can’t change other people or the past. It’s a waste to waste your precious, never-to-be-returned time on things you can’t change no matter how much time you spend. You should spend your time on things you can change with your will and effort. So, where are you heading to live from now on? Up? Forward? In any case, spend your time on things you can change, such as yourself and the future. If you do that, you will naturally stop worrying about other people and the past. You won’t even notice the things that have been bothering you until now. If you are passionate about something, you won’t even have time to think about such things. The important thing is to run as hard as you can toward the one clear goal in front of your eyes.

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「あなたにできること、あるいはできると夢見ていることがあれば、今すぐ始めなさい。向こう見ずは天才であり、力であり、魔法です。」(ゲーテ、ドイツの作家・詩人・博学者)“Whatever can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

「あなたにできること、あるいはできると夢見ていることがあれば、今すぐ始めなさい。向こう見ずは天才であり、力であり、魔法です。」
“Whatever can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749-1832
German author, poet and polymath

If you have a dream or want to try something, and you can visualize it in your head so clearly that it is almost clear, you should start right now. Human moods and emotions change easily, so if you think you can do it, if you want to try it, and if it’s a healthy challenge, you should decide to start right now, today. Being able to visualize it means that you are thinking about it in the back of your mind at all times, day and night, always keeping your antenna up and collecting information, waiting for an opportunity. Finally, you were able to visualize your dreams, goals, and challenges becoming reality. Now is the time to act. If you don’t decide now, you will surely find some excuse not to decide or challenge in the future. The first step may be scary. But this challenge will take you to a new stage, to a new realm. If you don’t take action now, when will you take the challenge?

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「この世界は、我々の想像力を描くためのキャンバスにすぎない。」(ヘンリー・デイヴィッド・ソロー、米国の作家・思想家・博物学者)”This world is but a canvas to our imaginations.”

「この世界は、我々の想像力を描くためのキャンバスにすぎない。」
“This world is but a canvas to our imaginations.”

Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862
American author, poet, and thinker

What will you paint on your canvas and leave this world? You are free to paint your life. Choose your favorite brush, use your favorite color, and paint your dreams and imagination. Paint your own picture, not someone else’s. Only you can paint your picture. Sometimes, the frame of the canvas may feel narrow. There is no need to be bound by the frame. You can jump out of the frame, or prepare a larger canvas and paint as you please. There is no right answer, so you just need to make the picture you paint the right one. Paint your own picture, dreams, and imagination as you please without being bound by anyone else.

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「下を向いていたら、虹を見つけることはできないよ。」(チャールズ・チャップリン)”You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.”

「下を向いていたら、虹を見つけることはできないよ。」
“You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.”

Charlie Chaplin 1899-1975
English actor, filmmaker, and composer

You can’t change things outside your brain, like other people or the past. Look forward and up, not behind or down. If you always look down, you won’t notice a rainbow in the sky. Rainbows and stars are in the sky, but if you don’t make an effort to see them, you won’t see them. Once you can see a rainbow, you can count the colors of the rainbow. You just don’t notice it, but joy and opportunities are actually overflowing near you, around you, in your daily life. What’s important is whether you can notice, or make an effort to notice, that there are joys, happiness, and opportunities. You can see rainbows and stars if you try, and you can’t see them if you don’t try.

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「自分の内なるものも、外なるものも、見ているものを変える必要はない。ただ見方を変えればいいのだ。」(タデウス・ゴラス、米国の作家)”You need not change anything in your life, but merely change how you look at it.”

「自分の内なるものも、外なるものも、見ているものを変える必要はない。ただ見方を変えればいいのだ。」
You need not change anything in your life, but merely change how you look at it.

Thaddeus Golas 1924-1997
American author

You don’t need to change what you see. Just change how you look at things. You can’t change other people or things. You can change yourself. Take another look at what you see and what you have in your hands. Get out of your usual way of thinking and observe things from a different perspective. Observe people. If you change how you look at things, your brain and behavior will change. What do you receive from events, what meaning do you find in them, and how can you enrich your life? Instead of dwelling on things and getting depressed, focus your time and energy on what you can control. You don’t need to change what you see. Just change how you look at things. You can change yourself right now.

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「自分自身を愛することを忘れるな。」(キルケゴール、デンマークの哲学者)”Don’t forget to love yourself.”

「自分自身を愛することを忘れるな。」
Don’t forget to love yourself.

Søren Kierkegaard 1813-1855
Danish philosopher and thinker

In your precious life, which may seem long but is short, there is no need to be sad to the point of sacrificing yourself. The most important thing is that you can live happily. Instead of trying to change others or the past that you cannot change, focus on the present. What can you change? What can you do now for the future, and what can you make a positive change with your own efforts? Focus on those things. Don’t forget to love yourself, the most important person in your life. If you are suffering from something, it’s okay to take a break. Just as you don’t care about others, others don’t care about you. So you should walk in a way that allows you to love yourself and your life.

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「沈まない太陽はない。しかし陽はまた昇り、夜明けをもたらす。」(マヤ・アンジェロウ、米国の作家・詩人)”No sun outlasts its sunset, but will rise again and bring the dawn.”

No sun outlasts its sunset, but will rise again and bring the dawn.

Maya Angelou 1928-2014
American poet and writer

The sun rises, sets, and rises again. It has always been like this, and will always be like this. How did you spend your day today? Tomorrow, the sun will rise again, and another day will begin. And then another day will end. What kind of encounters, discoveries, and progress will you make in between? Where are you headed? No matter how wonderful a day is, or how terrible a day you feel, it will come to an end and begin again. It has been the same since ancient times. With the dawn, your life begins.

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「目指す港がないような航海をしていたら、どんな風が吹いても助けにならない。」(モンテーニュ、フランスの哲学者)”No wind serves him who addresses his voyage to no certain port.”

「目指す港がないような航海をしていたら、どんな風が吹いても助けにならない。」
No wind serves him who addresses his voyage to no certain port.

Michel de Montaigne 1533-1592
French philosopher

Do you know where you want to go? When you are sailing on the open sea, it is not as if you just happen to arrive at the port you were aiming for. If you know your destination clearly and keep thinking about it, you will be able to notice even the most minute changes in the sea and sky that others might overlook, and you will be able to use the wind that blows by chance or fate to your advantage. So, if you are setting sail, it is better to decide the port you are aiming for before you set sail. Which port do you want to go to? If you have decided that, you will boldly face any storm that may come, and on days when the waves are calm, you will be able to face yourself in the midst of the nature of the open sea, raise the sails straight and without hesitation, and sail the ship towards your destination.

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