Q0001Fall seven times, stand up eight.
From the Japanese 'Nana korobi ya oki'. It celebrates resilience: however many times life knocks you down, what matters is that you get back up.
Ikigai DailyThe complete public collection
The living archive
Search across language, history, art, science and inner life. Every result opens into context, translation and a trail of related ideas.
1,961open cards
28subjects
2languages
Search and filter
Find the thought you came for.
1,961 cards, open to everyone
Three ways through
Begin with a state of mind.
Archive ledger
1,961 cards, open to everyone
Q0001
Q0002When the winds of change blow, some build walls, others build windmills.
A modern saying, often labelled a Chinese proverb though it has no traceable ancient source. Its image is sharp: the same wind of change that one person boards up against, another turns into power. Circumstance is raw material — resistance and opportunity are choices we bring to it.
Q0003Dig the well before you are thirsty.
A proverb about preparation before pressure arrives: the well must exist before thirst turns into panic. It is useful for money, health, craft, and relationships, because the strongest safety nets are built while life is still calm.
Q0004A gem cannot be polished without friction.
Hardship is what refines a person; without friction there is no polish, and without struggle no growth.
Q0005Do good and throw it into the sea.
Do good without expecting reward or recognition — give freely, even if the good seems to vanish.
Q0006Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
This Persian proverb keeps the discomfort and the reward in the same sentence. Patience is not passive waiting here; it is the discipline of staying steady long enough for a hard process to ripen.
Q0007A little fire is quickly trodden out.
The image is small but practical: a spark is easy to stamp out, a wildfire is not. The advice is to handle small mistakes, resentments, debts, or delays early, before they become a crisis with its own momentum.
Q0008There is no shame in not knowing, only in not learning.
The Turkish proverb separates ignorance from refusal. Not knowing is a normal starting point; the real failure is protecting pride so fiercely that curiosity, correction and growth can no longer enter.
Q0009A tree will not fall with one blow.
Big results take repeated effort — persistence, not a single attempt, achieves great things.
Q0010Strike the iron while it is hot.
A blacksmith can shape iron only while it is hot enough to yield. The proverb turns that craft image into a rule for timing: some chances stay open only briefly, so readiness matters as much as courage.
Q0011A true friend is known in dark days.
The Turkish proverb values friendship by pressure, not applause. A real friend is the person whose loyalty does not disappear when status, money, mood, or convenience turns against you.
Q0012Better alone than badly accompanied.
This Spanish proverb is not anti-friendship; it is pro-discernment. Solitude can be healthier than company that makes you smaller, more fearful, less honest, or less yourself.
Q0013Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.
A wry warning against procrastination: the work we put off piles onto a 'tomorrow' that never comes.
Q0014A closed mouth catches no flies.
The joke is deliberately physical: an open mouth invites trouble. In practice it is a lesson in restraint, especially when anger, gossip, or vanity is pushing you to say more than wisdom requires.
Q0015If you cannot live longer, live deeper.
The proverb shifts attention from length to density. A life is not measured only by years, but by presence, love, attention, and the courage to experience the days you actually have.
Q0016After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.
In the end all are equal, whatever their rank in life — like chess pieces returned to the same box.
Q0017God gives nuts to those with no teeth.
Fortune is often ill-timed, giving things to those who can't use them — a rueful note on life's irony.
Q0018Soft water on hard stone eventually makes a hole.
The strength in the image is not force but repetition. Water does not beat the stone once; it returns, patiently, until the hard surface changes. It is a quiet argument for consistency over drama.
Q0019The cheapest is often the most expensive.
The proverb is about false economy: a cheap choice can become expensive through repairs, replacement, wasted time or quiet frustration. Price is only one part of cost; quality and durability matter too.
Q0020Starting is easy, persistence is the art.
Beginnings give a quick emotional lift; continuation asks for systems, patience, and a less romantic kind of discipline. The proverb respects the person who comes back after the first excitement has faded.
Q0021A clear conscience is a soft pillow.
The pillow image makes morality intimate: conscience follows you into the dark, when no audience is left. The proverb says peace is not only comfort, but the private relief of having acted cleanly.
Q0022Shared joy is double joy; shared sorrow is half sorrow.
Sharing good times multiplies happiness, and sharing burdens makes them lighter.
Q0023Many small streams make a big river.
A single stream may look harmless, but streams become rivers by joining. The proverb is useful for teamwork, savings, study, and social change: modest contributions can become powerful when they accumulate.
Q0024Better bend than break.
This is not praise for surrender; it is praise for flexible survival. In storms, the branch that can bend may outlast the branch that insists on staying perfectly rigid.