Pearl Fryar

(December 4, 1939) Born in Clinton, North Carolina, Pearl was the son of a sharecropper. Since the early 1980s, Pearl Fryar has been creating fantastic topiary at his garden in Bishopville, South Carolina. Living sculptures, Pearl’s topiaries are astounding feats of artistry and horticulture. Many of the plants in Pearl’s garden were rescued from the compost pile at local nurseries. With Pearl’s patience and skilled hands, these “throw aways” have thrived and have been transformed into wonderful abstract shapes. Pearl Fryar and his garden are now internationally recognized and have been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles, television shows, and even a documentary, A Man Named Pearl. Today, the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden draws visitors from around the globe.

Sara Jane Henderson

(15 September 1936 – 29 April 2005) was an Australian pastoralist and author.She was named Businesswoman of the Year in 1991 for managing the Bullo River cattle station, 360 kilometres south-west of Darwin in the Northern Territory. In 1993 she published her autobiography From Strength to Strength which focused on her family’s efforts to manage Bullo River after her husband died in 1985

Joel Scott Osteen

(born March 5, 1963) is an American preacher, televangelist, author, and the Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church, the largest Protestant church in the United States.

Anne Bradstreet

(born Anne Dudley; March 20, 1612 – September 16, 1672) was the most prominent of early English poets of North America and first female writer in the British North American colonies to be published…Source

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar

(14 December 1918 – 20 August 2014), better known as B.K.S. Iyengar, was the founder of the style of yoga known as “Iyengar Yoga” and was considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world…

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

(1869-1948) often referred to as Mahatma Gandhi “Great Soul” he was the preeminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered satyagraha  resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total nonviolence, which helped India to gain independence, and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel

(October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007) was an American daredevil and entertainer. Over his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps, and, in 1974, a canyon jump across Snake River Canyon (which failed) in the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket.

Mahavira

also known as Vardhamana, was the twenty-fourth and last tirthankara. In Jainism, a tirthankara (maker of the river crossing) is an omniscient teacher who preaches the dharma (righteous path) and builds a ford across the ocean of rebirth and transmigration…

Stephen William Hawking

CH CBE FRS FRSA is an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge.

Confucius

(551–479 BC) Chinese thinker & social philosopher. His philosophy emphasized personal & governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice & sincerity. Confucius’ thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy known as Confucianism.

Emanuel James “Jim” Rohn

 (September 17, 1930 – December 5, 2009) An American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. His rags to riches story played a large part in his work, which influenced others in the personal development industry

Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant

(5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a French writer, remembered as a master of the short story form, and as a representative of the naturalist school of writers, who depicted human lives and destinies and social forces in disillusioned and often pessimistic terms.

Philip Kindred Dick

(December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and philosopher whose published works mainly belong to the genre of science fiction. Dick explored philosophical, sociological, political, and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments, and altered states of consciousness…Source

Eckhart Tolle

( Born 1948 ) A German-born Canadian resident, best known as the author of the The Power of Now and A New Earth, which were written in English. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world. In 2008, a New York Times writer called Tolle “the most popular spiritual author in the nation (United States)

Nelson Richard DeMille

(born August 23, 1943) is an American author of action adventure and suspense novels. His novels include Plum Island, The Charm School, and The Gold Coast

Judith Marjorie Collins

(born May 1, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records (which has included folk, show tunes, pop, rock and roll and standards) and for her social activism.

Leslie Calvin “Les” Brown

(born February 17, 1945) is a motivational speaker, author, radio DJ, former television host, and former politician. As a politician, he is a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. As a motivational speaker, he uses the catch phrase “it’s possible!” and teaches people to follow their dreams as he learned to do.

Chico Xavier or Francisco Cândido Xavier

born Francisco de Paula Cândido (April 2, 1910 – June 30, 2002) was a popular philanthropist and medium in the spiritist religion. He wrote most of 450 books using a process known as “psychography”.

Timber Hawkeye

Author of Buddhist Boot Camp, offers a non-sectarian approach to being at peace with the world, both within and around us. His intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich and inspire.

Pema Chödrön

(born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown on July 14, 1936) is a notable American figure in Tibetan Buddhism. A disciple of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, she is an ordained nun, author, and acharya, senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage Trungpa founded…Source

Gloria Steinem

 (March 25, 1934) is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women’s liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Ken Paik Hakuta

known as “Dr. Fad” since 1983, is an American inventor and television personality. Hakuta, as Dr. Fad, was the host of the popular kids invention TV show, The Dr. Fad Show, which ran from 1988 to 1994. The show featured kids’ inventions, and promoted creativity and inventiveness in children.

Socrates

469 BC–399 BC

A classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Many would claim that Plato’s dialogues are the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity.

Orison Swett Marden

(1850 – 1924) was an American writer associated with the New Thought Movement. He also held a degree in medicine, and was a successful hotel owner. Like many proponents of the New Thought philosophy, Marden believed that our thoughts influence our lives and our life circumstances

Abraham Lincoln

 (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) (aged 56) 16th President of the United States (March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865.) He successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery.

Stephen Richards Covey

(October 24, 1932 – July 16, 2012) was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His most popular book was The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Emanuel Swedenborg

(born 29 January 1688 died 29 March 1772) was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, theologian, revelator, and mystic. He is best known for his book on the afterlife, Heaven and Hell (1758)…Source

Albert Einstein

(14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and the most influential physicist of the 20th century

Carl Gustav Jung

 (26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) A Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of analytical psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as “by nature religious” and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and symbolization.

William Cuthbert Faulkner

(September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962 ) was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career. He is primarily known and acclaimed for his novels and short stories, many of which are set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, a setting Faulkner created based on Lafayette County, where he spent most of his childhood

Norman Vincent Peale

(May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) (aged 95) was a Protestant preacher and author (most notably of The Power of Positive Thinking) and a progenitor of the theory of “positive thinking”. In 1945, Dr. Peale, his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale, and Raymond Thornburg, a Pawling, New York businessman founded Guideposts magazine, a non-denominational forum for celebrities and ordinary people to relate inspirational stories

James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr.

(October 1, 1924) was an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States (1977–1981) and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office. Before he became President, Carter served as a U.S. Naval officer, was a peanut farmer, served two terms as a Georgia State Senator and one as Governor of Georgia (1971–1975).

Eckhart Tolle

( Born 1948 ) A German-born Canadian resident, best known as the author of the The Power of Now and A New Earth, which were written in English. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world. In 2008, a New York Times writer called Tolle “the most popular spiritual author in the nation (United States).”

Henry David Thoreau

 (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) American author, poet, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, philosopher, and leading transcendentalist. He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.

Dean Ray Koontz

(born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are broadly described as suspense thrillers, but also frequently incorporate elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire.

Rita Mae Brown

(November 28, 1944) is an n American writer. She is best known for her first novel Rubyfruit Jungle. Published in 1973, it dealt with lesbian themes in an explicit manner unusual for the time. Brown is also a mystery writer and screenwriter.

In the late 1960s, Brown turned her attention to politics. She became active in the American Civil Rights Movement, the anti-war movement, the Gay Liberation movement and the feminist movement.

Annie Leonard

She is a tireless fighter for the environment and a longtime leader in the movement to change the way we make, use, and throw away Stuff.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

(born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr.; April 16, 1947) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.

Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods

(born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer who is among the most successful golfers of all time. He has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years.

Tony Robbins

(born Anthony J. Mahavorick February 29, 1960) is an American life coach and self-help author…

Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra

 (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career (1946–1965) for the New York Yankees. Berra is one of only four players to be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times and is one of seven managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series. As a player, coach, or manager, Berra appeared in 21 World Series. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

William Franklin “Billy” Graham, Jr

KBE (born November 7, 1918) is an A
merican evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949 reaching a core constituency of middle-class, moderately conservative Protestants. He held large indoor and outdoor rallies; sermons were broadcast on radio and television, some still being re-broadcast today.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

(1869-1948) often referred to as Mahatma Gandhi “Great Soul” he was the preeminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered satyagraha resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total nonviolence, which helped India to gain independence, and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. 

Samuel Smiles

 (23 December 1812 – 16 April 1904) A Scottish author and reformer. Smiles is perhaps best known for his book Self Help. In 1859 he published the book at his own expense and risk, retaining the copyright and paying John Murray ten per cent. commission. It sold 20,000 copies within one year of its publication. By the time of Smiles’ death in 1904 it had sold over a quarter of a million.

Epictetus

 (AD c. 55 – 135) was a Greek sage and Stoic philosopher.Philosophy, Epictetus taught, is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline.

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

(Osho) ( 11 December 1931 – 19 January 1990) was an Indian mystic, guru and spiritual teacher who had an international following. A professor of philosophy, he traveled throughout India during the 1960’s as a public speaker. His outspoken criticism of socialism, Mahatma Gandhi and institutionalized religion made him controversial.

Henry Havelock Ellis

(2 February 1859 – 8 July 1939), was an English physician, writer, Progressive intellectual and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He was co-author of the first medical textbook in English on homosexuality in 1897, and also published works on a variety of sexual practices and inclinations, including transgender psychology. He is credited with introducing the notions of narcissism and autoeroticism, later adopted by psychoanalysis. He served as president of the Galton Institute and, like many intellectuals of his era, supported eugenics

Pope Francis

(born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of the Vatican City.

Harvey Mackay

(born 1932) is a businessman, author and syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. His weekly column gives career and inspirational advice and is featured in over 100 newspapers. Mackay has authored seven New York Times bestselling books, including three number one bestsellers. He is also a member of the National Speakers Association Council of Peers Award for Excellence Hall of Fame.

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton

(born October 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013. The wife of Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, she was First Lady of the United States during his tenure from 1993 to 2001. She served as a United States Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009

Leslie Calvin “Les” Brown

(born February 17, 1945) is a motivational speaker, author, radio DJ, former television host, and former politician. As a politician, he is a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. As a motivational speaker, he uses the catch phrase “it’s possible!” and teaches people to follow their dreams as he learned to do.

Deepak Chopra

 (October 22, 1946) is an Indian-born, American physician, public speaker, and writer. He is generally specialized in subjects such as spirituality, Ayurveda and mind-body medicine.

Edward St. John Gorey

(February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an American writer and artist noted for his illustrated books. His characteristic pen-and-ink drawings often depict vaguely unsettling narrative scenes in Victorian and Edwardian settings.

Cory Anthony Booker

(born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and the junior United States Senator from New Jersey, in office since 2013. Previously he served as Mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013

Ferenc Gyurcsány

(born 4 June 1961) is a Hungarian politician. He was the sixth Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009.

Ernest Miller Hemingway

 (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) American writer and journalist. His distinctive writing style, characterized by economy and understatement, influenced 20th-century fiction, as did his life of adventure and public image. He produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and his career peaked in 1954 when he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Alice Malsenior Walker

(born February 9, 1944) is an American author and activist. She wrote the critically acclaimed novel The Color Purple (1982) for which she won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Jack Kerouac

( born Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation

Albert Einstein

(14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and the most influential physicist of the 20th century.

Sarah Jane Vowell

(born December 27, 1969) is an American author, journalist, essayist, social commentator and actress. Often referred to as a “social observer,” Vowell has written seven nonfiction books on American history and culture.

Jonathan Balcombe

(born 28 February 1959) is an ethologist and author. He currently serves as Department Chair for Animal Studies with Humane Society University, in Washington, DC. He lectures internationally on animal behavior and the human-animal relationship.

Henry David Thoreau

 (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) American author, poet, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, philosopher, and leading transcendentalist. He is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state

James Jones

(November 6, 1921 – May 9, 1977) was an American author known for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath. He won the 1952 National Book Award for his first published novel, From Here to Eternity, which was adapted for the big screen immediately and made into a television series a generation later

William Arthur Ward

 (1921–March 30, 1994), author of Fountains of Faith, is one of America’s most quoted writers of inspirational maxims. More than 100 articles, poems and meditations written by Ward have been published in such magazines as Reader’s Digest, This Week, The Upper Room

John Wood Campbell, Jr

. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. As editor of Astounding Science Fiction (later called Analog Science Fiction and Fact) from late 1937 until his death, he is generally credited with shaping the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

Mother Teresa

 (26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997) (Age 87) Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India in 1950. Following her death she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and given the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

Wendell Berry

 (born August 5, 1934) is an American man of letters, academic, cultural and economic critic, and farmer. He is a prolific author of novels, short stories, poems, and essays.

Jamie Tworkowski

He founded To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), a non-profit group dedicated to helping those who suffer from depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicidal tendencies find hope, support, and love. TWLOHA began as a simple attempt to tell the story of a friend in need of treatment, and soon became an internet phenomenon and global movement.

Yasmin Mogahed

She received her B.S. Degree in Psychology and her Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After completing her graduate work, she taught Islamic Studies and worked as a writing instructor for Cardinal Stritch University, and a staff columnist for the Islam section of InFocus News. Currently she’s a freelance writer and international speaker. She also hosts Serenity, her show on One Legacy Radio.

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde

 (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) An Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London’s most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigramsand plays, and the circumstances of his imprisonment which was followed by his early death. 

Margaret Julia “Marlo” Thomas

(born November 21, 1937) is an American actress, producer, and social activist known for starring on the sitcom That Girl (1966–1971) and her award-winning feminist children’s franchise, Free to Be… You and Me. Thomas serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which was founded by her father, Danny Thomas, in 1962

Cornelia “Corrie” ten Boom

(15 April 1892 – 15 April 1983) was a Dutch Christian who, along with her father and other family members, helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. She was imprisoned for her actions. Her most famous book, The Hiding Place, describes the ordeal

Thich Nhat Hanh

(October 11, 1926) A Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in France. Born Nguy?n Xuân B?o, Thích Nh?t H?nh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thi?n) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhat Hanh. Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan.

William Arthur Ward

 (1921–March 30, 1994), author of Fountains of Faith, is one of America’s most quoted writers of inspirational maxims. More than 100 articles, poems and meditations written by Ward have been published in such magazines as Reader’s Digest, This Week, The Upper Room

James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr.

(October 1, 1924) was an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States (1977–1981) and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office. Before he became President, Carter served as a U.S. Naval officer, was a peanut farmer, served two terms as a Georgia State Senator and one as Governor of Georgia (1971–1975).

Jon Stewart

(born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, actor, media critic, and television host. From 1999 to 2015, he was the host of The Daily Show, a satirical news program that airs on Comedy Central.

Camille Pissarro

(10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the Danish West Indies). His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

Paulo Coelho

 (August 24, 1947) a Brazilian lyricist & novelist & has become one of the most widely read authors in the world today. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious international awards

Hilary Hinton Ziglar

 ( November 6, 1926 – November 28, 2012 ) An American author, salesperson, and motivational speaker born in Coffee County, Alabama the tenth of 12 children. He has published over 48 works. Since 1970, his career has moved from master seller to master motivator. Ten of his 25 books have been best sellers. He is in constant demand as speaker and instructor to audiences of all kinds and sizes.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

(18 July 1918 – December 5, 2013) President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962 he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and sentenced to life in prison, he served 27 years. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to multi-racial democracy in 1994. As president, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation, while introducing policies aimed at combating poverty and inequality in South Africa.

Abert Schweitzer

 (14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) A Franco-German (Alsatian) theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of “Reverence for Life”

Galileo Galilei

(Italian pronunciation: [?ali?l??o ?ali?l?i]; 15 February 1564– 8 January 1642), was an Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician who played a major role in the scientific revolution during the Renaissance

Oprah Gail Winfrey

 (January 29, 1954) An American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist, best known for her self-titled, multi-award winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history. 

Leonard Simon Nimoy

 (March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, film director, poet, singer and photographer. He was known for his role as Mr. Spock in the original Star Trek series (1966–1969), and in multiple film, television and video game sequels.

Ida Bell Wells-Barnett

(July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931), more commonly known as Ida B. Wells, was an American journalist, newspaper editor, suffragist, sociologist, Georgist,and an early leader in the civil rights movement

Stephen William Hawking

CH CBE FRS FRSA is an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama

(born January 17, 1964) is an American lawyer and writer. She is the wife of the 44th and current President of the United States, Barack Obama, and the first African-American First Lady of the United States

Betty Marion White

(January 17, 1922) is an American actress, comedian, author, and former game-show host. She is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls.

She has also released several books over the span of her career. In August 2010, she entered a deal with G.P. Putnam Sons to produce two more books, the first of which is scheduled for release in 2011.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

An American author best-known for his inspirational book, Life’s Little Instruction Book, a New York Times bestseller (1991–1994).

Alen Cohen, M.A.

He is the author of 23 popular inspirational books, including the best-selling The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the award-winning A Deep Breath of Life, and the classic Are You as Happy as Your Dog? He is a contributing writer for the New York Times #1 bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul, and his books have been translated into 24 foreign language

Richard Burton Matheson

(February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres.

Martha Nibley Beck

(born November 29, 1962) is an American sociologist, life coach, best-selling author, and speaker who specializes in helping individuals and groups achieve personal and professional goals.

Carl Gustav Jung

(26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) A Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of analytical psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as “by nature religious” and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and symbolization.

William Cuthbert Faulkner

(September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962 ) was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career. He is primarily known and acclaimed for his novels and short stories, many of which are set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, a setting Faulkner created based on Lafayette County, where he spent most of his childhood. 

Richard Louis Evans

(March 23, 1906 – November 1, 1971) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) (1953–71); the president of Rotary International (1966–67); and the writer, producer, and announcer of Music an

Jane Morris Goodall

(April 3, 1934) British primatologist & UN Messenger of Peace, best known for her 45-year study of social & family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania. Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & she has worked extensively on conservation & animal welfare issues.

Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman

( born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book

Eckhart Tolle

( Born 1948 ) A German-born Canadian resident, best known as the author of the The Power of Now and A New Earth, which were written in English. In 2011, he was listed by the Watkins Review as the most spiritually influential person in the world. In 2008, a New York Times writer called Tolle “the most popular spiritual author in the nation (United States).”

William Edward Burghardt “W. E. B.” Du Bois (pronounced /du??b??z/ doo-boyz;

( February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author and editor.

Henry Charles Bukowski

(August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-born American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles.

Maya Angelou

 (born Marguerite Ann Johnson April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) American author and poet. She published six autobiographies, five books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than fifty years

Martin Luther King

(January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) (aged 39) An American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. His main legacy is securing progress on civil rights in the United States. Because of this work, he has become a human rights icon. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. 

Gloria Steinem

 (March 25, 1934 is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women’s liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Ezra Taft Benson

(August 4, 1899 – May 30, 1994) was an American farmer and religious leader, serving as United States Secretary of Agriculture during both presidential terms of Dwight D. Eisenhower and as thirteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1985 until his death…

Aristotle

(384 BC – 322 BC) A Greek philosopher, student of Plato, teacher to Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. Together with Plato and Socrates (Plato’s teacher), Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy

Bruce Lee

(born Lee Jun-fan) (November 1940 – 20 July 1973) was a Hong Kong American martial artist, Hong Kong action film actor, martial arts instructor, filmmaker, and founder of Jeet Kune Do, he is widely considered by commentators, critics, media and other martial artists to be one of the most influential martial artists of all time, and a pop culture icon of the 20th century

Charles F. Glassman

, MD, FACP, known as Coach MD, has practiced general internal medicine, for over 20 years, in Rockland County, NY, a suburban community 30 miles north of New York City, designing his practice to be patient-centered instead of problem-focused…Source

Joseph John Campbell

 (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience. His philosophy is often summarized by his phrase: “Follow your bliss

Raymond Albert “Ray” Kroc

(October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984) was an American businessman. He joined McDonald’s in 1954 or 1955 and built it into the most successful fast food operation in the world.

Joe Biden

Joseph Robinette “Joe” Biden, Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, jointly elected twice with President Barack Obama and in office since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Biden served as a United States Senator from Delaware from 1973 until 2009.

Regina Brett

(born May 31, 1956) is a New York Times bestselling author, newspaper columnist currently writing for The Plain Dealer and The Cleveland Jewish News, and an inspirational speaker.

Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.

(October 8, 1941) is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. In 1965, he participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches organized by James Bevel, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders in Alabama.

Jack Canfield

(born August 19, 1944) is an American author, and motivational speaker. He is the co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, which has more than 250 titles and 500 million copies in print in over 40 languages.

William Arthur Ward

(1921–March 30, 1994), author of Fountains of Faith, is one of America’s most quoted writers of inspirational maxims. More than 100 articles, poems and meditations written by Ward have been published in such magazines as Reader’s Digest, This Week, The Upper Room.

Kenneth Paul Venturi

(May 15, 1931 – May 17, 2013) was an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. In a career shortened by injuries, he won 14 events on the PGA Tour including a major, the U.S. Open in 1964. Shortly before his death, Venturi was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013.

John Forbes Nash, Jr.

(June 13, 1928 – May 23, 2015) was an American mathematician whose works in game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential equations have provided insight into the factors that govern chance and events inside complex systems in daily life.

 

Sir Michael Caine

CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933), is an English actor and author. Renowned for his distinctive Cockney accent, Caine has appeared in over 115 films and is one of the UK’s most recognisable actors…

Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez

(15 August 1917 – 24 March 1980) was a bishop of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He became the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador. He spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture. In 1980, at the Church of the Divine Providence, Romero was assassinated while offering Mass

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.

(July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933) was the 30th President of the United States (1923–1929). A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor

Gilda Susan Radner

(June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American comedian and actress. She was best remembered as an original cast member of the hit NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which she won an Emmy Award.

Leonardo da Vinci

(April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) (aged 67)An Italian polymath: painter, writer, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician.

Wayne Walter Dyer

(May 10, 1940-) Is an American self-help author, teacher, motivational speaker, lecturer and business man. Born in Detroit, Michigan he spent much of his adolescence in an orphanage…

Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust

(10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922)  A French novelist, critic, and essayist. He is regarded as one of the greatest of French prose writers.

Truman Streckfus Persons

(September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984), known as Truman Capote, was an American author, screenwriter, playwright, actor, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) and the true crime novel In Cold Blood (1966)

Robin McLaurin Williams

(July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) American actor and stand-up comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork & Mindy (1978–1982)

Jack Kerouac

( born Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation.

Aristotle

(384 BC - 322 BC) A Greek philosopher, student of Plato, teacher to Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. Together with Plato and Socrates (Plato’s teacher), Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy
 

Nellie Bly

 (May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922) was the pen name of American journalist Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman. She was also a writer, industrialist, inventor, and a charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, in emulation of Jules Verne’s fictional character Phileas Fogg, and an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. She was a pioneer in her field, and launched a new kind of investigative journalism

Julius Henry “Groucho” Marx

  (October 2, 1890  – August 19, 1977 An American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers…

Benjamin McLane Spock

 (May 2, 1903 – March 15, 1998) was an American pediatrician whose book Baby and Child Care, published in 1946, is one of the best-sellers of all time. Its message to mothers is that “you know more than you think you do.”…Source

Elbert Green Hubbard

 (19 June 1856 – 7 May 1915) was an American writer, publisher, artist, businessman, anarchist and libertarian socialist philosopher. He was an influential exponent of the Arts and Crafts movement, founding the Roycroft enterprises. He and his wife Alice Moore Hubbard died in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania…

José Julián Martí Pérez

 (28 January 1853 – 19 May 1895) was
leader of the Cuban independence movement as well as an esteemed poet and writer. He is revered as a great national hero, and often referred to as El Apostol de la Independencia Cubana [the Apostle of Cuban Independence]…

Sir Noël Peirce Coward

 (16 December 1899 – 26 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called “a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise”

Annelies Marie “Anne” Frank

(12 June 1929 – ? March 1945) (aged 15) One of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary (which documents her experiences hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II) has become one of the world’s most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films

Max Ehrmann

 (September 26, 1872 – September 9, 1945) was an American writer, poet, and attorney from Terre Haute, Indiana, widely known for his 1927 prose poem “Desiderata” (Latin: “things desired”). He often wrote on spiritual themes.

Deepak Chopra

 (October 22, 1946) is an Indian-born, American physician, public speaker, and writer. He is generally specialized in subjects such as spirituality, Ayurveda and mind-body medicine.

Herbert George Wells

 ( 21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games. Together with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback, Wells has been referred to as “The Father of Science Fiction”.

George Hosato Takei

 (April 20, 1937) is an American actor and author, best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the television series Star Trek. He is a proponent of gay rights and active in state and local politics as well as continuing his acting career

Confucius

 (551–479 BC) Chinese thinker & social philosopher. His philosophy emphasized personal & governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice & sincerity. Confucius’ thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy known as Confucianism. 

Dali Lama

The Dalai Lama is the leader of the Gelug or “Yellow Hat” branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word dalai meaning “Ocean” and the Tibetan word bla-ma (with a silent “b”) meaning “teacher”.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

 (born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysicist and science communicator. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space and a research associate in the department of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. From 2006 to 2011 he hosted the educational science television show NOVA ScienceNow on PBS and has been a frequent guest on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time with Bill Maher, and Jeopardy!

Beth Lisick

She is an American writer, performer, and author of five books. With Arline Klatte, she co-founded the Porchlight Storytelling Series of open-mic spoken word performances in San Francisco in 2002

Hilary Ann Swank

(born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and producer. She has won two Academy Awards for Best Actress and has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007

Rose Wilder Lane

 (December 5, 1886 – October 30, 1968, daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Almanzo Wilder) was an American journalist, travel writer, novelist, and political theorist. She is noted – with Ayn Rand and Isabel Paterson – as one of the founding mothers of the American libertarian movement…Source

Theodor Seuss Geisel

 (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) American writer & cartoonist known for his children’s books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone. He published 44 children’s books, including the bestselling Green Eggs & Ham, The Cat in the Hat, & How the Grinch Stole Christmas… 

Hal Borland

 (May 14, 1900 – February 22, 1978) was a well-known American author and journalist. In addition to writing several novels and books about the outdoors, he wrote “outdoor editorials” for The New York Times for more than 30 years, from 1941 to 1978.

Frank Tyger

 (December 24, 1929 – May 2, 2011) was the nationally published editorial cartonnist, columnist and humorist for the Trenton Times (New Jersey) newspaper form the 1960s through the 1990s.

Dame Anita Roddick,

DBE (23 October 1942 – 10 September 2007)
was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, a cosmetics company producing and retailing natural beauty products that shaped ethical consumerism.

Billie Jean King

 (born November 22, 1943)
is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles, 16 women’s doubles, and 11 mixed doubles titles.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama

 
(born January 17, 1964) is an American lawyer and writer. She is the wife of the 44th and current President of the United States, Barack Obama, and the first African-American First Lady of the United States.

Edward Paul Abbey

 
(January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989 ) was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental groups, and the non-fiction work Desert Solitaire.

Albert Einstein

 (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and the most influential physicist of the 20th century.

 

Paul David Hewson

 (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician, venture capitalist, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best recognized as the frontman of the Dublin-based rock band U2…Source

Thomas J. “Tom” Peters

 (born November 7, 1942) is an American writer on business management practices, best-known for In Search of Excellence co-authored with Robert H. Waterman.

William Arthur Ward

 (1921–March 30, 1994, is one of America’s most quoted writers of inspirational maxims. More than 100 articles, poems and meditations written by Ward have been published in such magazines as Reader’s Digest The Upper Room.

Louis “Studs” Terkel

 (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American author, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for “The Good War”, and is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans, and for hosting a long-running radio show in Chicago

Gautama Buddha

A spiritual teacher from ancient India who founded Buddhism. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha, “Buddha” meaning “awakened one” or “the enlightened one.” The time of his birth and death are uncertain: Some say, 563 BCE to 483 BCE, others say, 486 and 483 BCE according to some, 411 and 400 BCE

William Henry “Bill” Gates III

 (born October 28, 1955) American business magnate, investor, programmer, inventor and philanthropist. Gates is the former chief executive and current chairman of Microsoft, the world’s largest personal-computer software company, which he co-founded with Paul Allen

Erma Louise Bombeck

 

(February 21, 1927 – April 22, 1996) American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper column that described suburban home life humorously from the mid-1960s until the late 1990s. Bombeck also published 15 books, most of which became best-sellers?

Leonard Simon Nimoy

 (March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, film director, poet, singer and photographer. He was known for his role as Mr. Spock in the original Star Trek series (1966–1969), and in multiple film, television and video game sequels.

David McCullough Jr.

He  is an author and English teacher at Wellesley High School in the Boston suburbs, achieved sudden fame in 2012 with his commencement speech. He told graduating students, “you’re not special” nine times, and his speech went viral on YouTube…

Lucille Désirée Ball

 ( August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive. One of the most popular and influential stars in America during her lifetime.

Ball began acting in the 1930s, becoming both a radio actress and B-movie star in the 1940s, and then a television star during the 1950s. She was still making films in the 1960s and 1970s.

Felice Leonardo “Leo” Buscaglia PhD

(March 31, 1924 – June 12, 1998), also known as “Dr. Love,” was an American author and motivational speaker, and a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California.

Joanne “Jo” Rowling

(31 July 1965), pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British novelist, best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. The Potter books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies.

David Livingstone

 (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley on 10 November 1871 gave rise to the popular quotation “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr.

(born October 7, 1966) is a poet, writer, and filmmaker. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a Native American with ancestry of several tribes, growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

 (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945)(aged 63) The 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war. The only American president elected to more than two terms, he forged a durable coalition that realigned American politics for decades.

Charles Monroe Schulz

 (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.

Vincent Thomas “Vince” Lombardi

 (June 11, 1913– September 3, 1970),was an American football player, coach, and executive

Epictetus

 (AD c. 55 – 135) was a Greek sage and Stoic philosopher.Philosophy, Epictetus taught, is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline

John R. “Johnny” Cash

(February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was a singer-songwriter, actor, and author, widely considered one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century… wikipedia

 

Ehren Tool

He is a ceramic artist and Senior Laboratory Mechanician at the Ceramic Department at University of California, Berkeley, and Marine Veteran of the 1991 Gulf War.

Mary Jane West

 (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980), known as Mae West, was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades. West made a name for herself in vaudeville and on the stage in New York before moving to Hollywood to become a comedienne, actress and writer in the motion picture industry. 

Pope John Paul II,

born Karol Józef Wojty?a was pope of the Catholic Church from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005.

Andrew Aitken “Andy” Rooney

 (January 14, 1919 – November 4, 2011) An American radio and television writer. He was most notable for his weekly broadcast “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney”, a part of the CBS News program 60 Minutes from 1978 to 2011. His final regular appearance on 60 Minutes aired October 2, 2011. He died a month later, on November 4, at age 92.

James Albert Michener

 
(February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American author of more than 40 books, the majority of which were fictional, lengthy family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating solid history.

George Washington

 (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799( (aged 67) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, serving as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He also presided over the convention that drafted the Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution established the position of President of the republic, which Washington was the first to hold…Source | More

 

William Wells Brown

 
(circa 1814 – November 6, 1884) was a prominent African-American abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian. Born into slavery in Montgomery County, Kentucky, near the town of Mount Sterling, Brown escaped to the North in 1834, where he worked for abolitionist causes and was a prolific writer…

Muhammad Ali

(born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist. Considered a cultural icon, Ali has both been idolized and vilified

John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr

 (February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) An American writer; The Grapes of Wrath (1939), East of Eden(1952), Of Mice and Men (1937). He wrote a total of 27 books,16 novels, 6 non-fiction books & 5 short story collections. In 1962 Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Thich Nhat Hanh

(October 11, 1926) A Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in France. Born Nguy?n Xuân B?o, Thích Nh?t H?nh joined a Zen (Vietnamese: Thi?n) monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate. Upon his ordination as a monk in 1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thích Nhat Hanh. Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya (Shakyamuni Buddha) clan.

Barack Hussein Obama II

(born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States and the first African American to hold the office. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was president of the Harvard Law Review.

He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004

Raymond William Stacey Burr

 (May 21, 1917 – September 12, 1993) was a Canadian-American actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. He also had prominent involvement in multiple charitable endeavors, such as working on behalf of the United Service Organizations

Sir Isaac Newton

(25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727) was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, who has been considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived.