The philosophy behind the phrase "Fall down seven times, stand up eight" is one of resilience and persistence. It means that no matter how many times you fail or get knocked down, you should always get back up and keep pushing forward. "nanakorobi yaoki," which means "fall seven times, stand up eight."
And no, the math is not wrong. We start upstanding, from the moment we make a decision and take action, we are standing. If we fall, we already stood up once, thus, we've stood more than fallen at any given time. One should learn to stand up without falling down. The eighth time is when you stood up without falling. The math is accurate.
This phrase is especially motivational because it reminds us that failure and setbacks are a normal part of life and that we should never give up on our goals and dreams. Instead, we should learn from our mistakes and use them as opportunities to grow and improve ourselves.
Similarly, the phrase "Don't let the bastards grind you down" is also motivational. It means that no matter how much other people try to bring you down or discourage you, you should keep fighting and not let them defeat you. This phrase comes from the Latin phrase "Illegitimi non carborundum," which was popularized during World War II.
This everyday carry coin is a great reminder that anything is possible if you try, and that success is a lot sweeter when you know you gave it your very best.