Sometimes we just need to look outside of ourselves for some inspiration.
1. Helen Keller (27 June 1880 – 1 June 1968)
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” – Helen Keller
The famous American author, political activist and lecturer contracted an unknown illness at 19 months old which left her deaf and blind. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree.
2. Mohandas Gandhi, The Mahatma (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948)
“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.” – Mahatma Gandhi
The honorific Mahātmā (Sanskrit: “high-souled”, “venerable”) was first applied to him in 1914 in South Africa and is now used worldwide. Gandhi was an Indian activist who was the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.
3. Nelson Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013)
“It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.” – Nelson Mandela
Affectionately known as Madiba and the “Father of the Nation” in South Africa, he is regarded as one of the greatest statesman of all time. Anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist, Mandela was the first black president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He would have been 100 this year.
4. Walt Disney (5 December 1901 – 15 December 1966)
“All of our dreams can come true if we just have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
A pioneer of the American animation industry, Disney holds the record for the most Academy Awards received by an individual. He won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations.
5. Oprah Winfrey (29 January 1954)
“My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” – Oprah Winfrey
Dubbed the “Queen of All Media”, she was the richest African American of the 20th century and North America’s first multi-billionaire black person. She has been ranked the greatest black philanthropist in American history.
6. George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950)
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist.
7. Eckhart Tolle (16 February 1948)
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.” – Eckhart Tolle
Regarded as the most spiritually influential person in the world, Tolle is best known as the author of The Power of Now.
8. Napoleon Hill (26 October 1883 – 8 November 1970)
“What the mind can conceive, it can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill
He is known best for his book Think and Grow Rich (1937) which is among the 10 best selling self-help books of all time. Hill’s works insisted that passionate expectations are essential to improving one’s life.
9. Lao Tzu (6th century BC?)
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
An ancient Chinese philosopher and writer, he is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, the founder of philosophical Taoism, and a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions. A semi-legendary figure, he was usually portrayed as a 6th century BC contemporary of Confucius, but some modern historians consider him to have lived during the 4th century BC.
10. Steve Jobs (24 February 1955 – 5 October 2011)
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” – Steve Jobs
Chairman, CEO and a co-founder of Apple Inc., chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar, a member of The Walt Disney Company’s board of directors following its acquisition of Pixar, and the founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT, Jobs is widely recognized as a pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, along with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
