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Authors:
Napolean Bonaparte
Thomas Carlyle
Sir Winston Churchill
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Gene Fowler Jr.
Mark Twain
Siddhartha Gautama
(Buddha)
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Sam Levenson
Carl Rowen
Lao-Tzu
Napolean Bonaparte:
(1769 - 1821) Emperor of France. Born Napoleon Buonaparte
(the spelling change was made after 1796) on August 15, 1769,
in the Corsican city of Ajaccio. He was the fourth of 11 children
of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Romolino. His father derived
from the lesser Corsican nobility.
Quotes
"What is history but a fable agreed upon."
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Mark Twain:
(183 - 1910) Masterful American writer, who still thrills
generations with his humor, his stories, and his humility.
Quotes
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage
over the man who cannot read them."
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Thomas Carlyle:
Scottish-born English historian and essayist who was leading
figure in the Victorian era. Carlyle's collected works (1974)
comprises 30 volumes. In the age which put faith in legislation,
Carlyle believed in a leader, a hero, whom people must recognize
and worship. In his famous work On Heroes & Hero Worship
(1841) his examples ranged from Mohammed to Shakespeare and
Dr. Johnson. (1795-1881)
Quotes
"The history of the world is but the biography of great
men."
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Sir Winston Churchill:
Sir Winston Churchill was the eldest son of the aristocrat
Lord Randolph Churchill, born on 30th November 1874. He is
best known for his stubborness yet courageous leadership as
Prime Minister for Great Britain when he led the British people
from the brink of defeat during World War II.
Quotes
"It is better to be making the news than taking it; to
be an actor rather than a critic."
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Ralph Waldo Emerson:
(1803 - 1882) Author, minister, activist. Born May 25, 1803
in Boston, Massachusetts of a fairly well known New England
family. His father was a prominent Boston minister who died
when Emerson was eight years old, leaving the Emerson family
to endure poverty. However, their circumstances did not prevent
young Emerson from attending the Boston Latin School, where
he received the best basic education of his day. At 14 he
enrolled in Harvard College.
Quotes
"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause
and effect."
"The thirst for adventure is the vent which Destiny offers;
a war, a crusade, a gold mine, a new country, speak to the
imagination and offer swing and play to the confined powers."
"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us or we find it not."
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Gene Fowler Jr.:
An Academy and Emmy Award-winning director and editor of more
than 100 movies and television shows, Fowler will perhaps
be best remembered for his 1957 cult classic, I Was a Teenage
Werewolf. His other works include It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad
World, The Ox-Bow Incident and The Waltons.
Quotes
"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet
of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."
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Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
Founder of Buddhism. He was born circa 563 B.C. in Nepal to
Suddhodana, king of the Sakhyas, and Queen Maha Maya. He died
circa 483 B.C.
Quotes
"You can search throughout the entire universe for someone
who is more deserving of your love and affection than you
are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere.
You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve
your love and affection."
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John Fitzgerald Kennedy:
US president. (1917-1963)
Quotes
"We would like to live as we once lived, but history
will not permit it."
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Sam Levenson:
US teacher, comic. (1911-1980)
Quotes
"Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is
a woman giving birth to a child. She must be found and stopped."
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Carl Rowen
Former CIA operative, syndicated journalist for Washington
Post.
Quotes
"The library is the temple of learning, and learning
has liberated more people than all the wars in history."
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Lao-Tzu
Lao Tzu ("Father of Taoism") lived twenty-five centuries
ago in ancient China. Even though the details of his existence
are shrouded in the mist of time, we know with a fair degree
of certainty that his name was Li Er.
Legend has it that King Wu of Zhou appointed him head librarian
of the imperial archives at Luoyang. In this capacity Lao
Tzu was able to immerse himself in the study of history, philosophy
and literature, gaining wisdom and insights along the way.
History records that Confucius visited with Lao Tzu, and
came away in awe of Lao Tzu's intellect. Confucius recognized
in Lao Tzu a deep understanding about the world that was above
his own, and went so far as to liken Lao Tzu to the mysterious
dragon.
Lao Tzu decided to leave civilization behind when the House
of Zhao began its decline. He departed Luoyang and headed
through the Hangu Pass to some destination beyond the Great
Wall.
Before leaving the gate at the Great Wall, a guard at the
gate asked him to write down his thoughts on the Tao for posterity.
Lao Tzu agreed, and wrote a small book in two parts, expressing
his accumulated learnings in brief, concise yet profound language.
This book survived over 2,500 years and came to be known as
the Tao Te Ching.
Quotes
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving
someone deeply gives you courage."
"In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking,
keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In
governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present."
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