Ancient Japanese wisdom teaches us that life is a journey, not a destination. The purpose of life is not to arrive at some final goal or destination, but to keep moving forward and growing along the way. This is why it is so important to live each day to the fullest and enjoy the journey, instead of fixating on some future goal that may never be reached. This philosophy can be applied to many areas of life, including our career goals, personal relationships, and even our health. Instead of setting our sights on some distant goal that may never be attained, we should focus on the here and now and enjoy the journey. In this post we’ll see some Japanese sayings about life.
Japanese Sayings About Life
“Do not speak bad of yourself. For the warrior within hears your words and is lessened by them.”
“What you don’t sweat out when you’re young will turn into tears when you’re old.”
“A frog in a well does not know the great sea.”
“Time and tide wait for no man.”
“The cow drinks water and it turns to milk; the snake drinks water and it turns to poison.”
“If there is no wind, row.”
“Civilize the mind but make savage the body.”
“Believe in people, but believe in yourself a hundred times more.”
“Giving birth to a baby is easier than worrying about it.”
“The spit aimed at the sky comes back to one.”
“Fate aids the courageous.”
“The moon, snow, and flowers cannot all be viewed at the same time.”
“When in doubt, do nothing.”
“Tigers die and leave their skins; people die and leave their names.”
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
“The protruding nail will be hammered.”
“If you do not enter the tiger’s cave, you will not catch its cub.”
“If you have no failure in life, you will fail in life.”
“Rust comes from within the body.”
“Vision without action is a daydream.”
“Love and a cough cannot be hidden.”
“Put a lid on what smells bad.”
“Face becomes a mirror of the soul.”
“The possessor of bad breath does not notice the odor.”
“We learn little from victory, much from defeat.”
“Wake from death and return to life”
“Continuance is power.”
“What becomes good does not necessarily become beautiful.”
“Once past the throat, hot liquid is forgotten. Even dust amassed will grow into a mountain.”
“One who chases after two rabbits won’t catch even one.”
“You can’t change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails.”
“Ten men, Ten colors”
“The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention.”
“Of flowers, the cherry blossom; of men, the warrior.”
“First the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes the man.
“Even monkeys fall from trees”
“There is nothing costlier than what’s free.”
“Depend on your walking stick, not on other people.”
“Failure is the mother of success.”
“Ocean thousand, mountain thousand”
“The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.”
“The weak are meat; the strong eat.”
“Don’t estimate the value of a raccoon dog skin before catching the raccoon dog.
“The mouth is the cause of calamity.”
“Even a fool has at least one talent.”
“It’s better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.”
“Spilled water will not return to the bowl.”
“Life without endeavours is like entering a jewel-mine and coming out with empty hands.”
“Don’t look back, don’t look back, there is no dream in the back.”
“A man is not old as long as he has something to do.”
“Life is a candle light before the wind.”
“With many little strokes a large tree is felled.”
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”
“He who hesitates is lost.”
“Pleasure is the source of pain; pain is the source of pleasure.”
“The tree that bears no fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
“No man is an island.”
“Even a thousand-mile journey begins with the first step.”
“One step at a time.“
“If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.”
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.“
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese proverb (often attributed to Japanese culture)
“Too many accomplishments make no accomplishment.“
