PATHS TO SUCCESS: HARD WORK AFTER DEFEAT

The remarkable progress of the Japanese nation stemmed from the relentless hard work of its people following their defeat in the war.

The 17th-century French writer and thinker Jean de La Bruyère (1645-1696) stated that there are only two ways for a person to elevate themselves in this world: either through their hard work or by taking advantage of the weaknesses of others.

“In the world, there are only two ways of raising oneself, either by one’s hard work or by the weakness of others.”

One example of this is India, and another is the modern history of Japan. The independence that India gained in 1947 was, in fact, a result of taking advantage of Britain’s weakness following World War II. Conversely, after World War II, Japan achieved remarkable progress. The secret to this progress was the continuous hard work of the Japanese people after their defeat in the war.