"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled."
– Plutarch
Plutarch, the Greek historian who penned more than 46 anecdote-laced biographies of famous Greek and Roman figures in hisParallel Lives series of books, was more interested in exploring the influence of character on a man's personal destiny than in writing dry histories. He was born in Greece during Roman rule, most likely in the year 46. He traveled extensively through the Roman Empire, finally returning home to become a priest of Apollo at the Oracle of Delphi. He died in the year 120.
"Forgiveness is the economy of the heart.…forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits."
– Hannah More
English writer and philanthropist Hannah More, one of the most influential women of her time, is seen as a proto-feminist because she argued for true education for women. She was born near Bristol in 1745. When her long engagement to a local landowner ended badly, he gave her a yearly stipend in apology, which allowed her the freedom to move to London and write plays. She later shifted to philanthropic work and writing popular religious tracts. She died in 1833.
"Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different."
– Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield was the pen name of short story writer Katherine Beauchamp, who is best known for her collection The Garden Party. Born in New Zealand in 1888, she moved to England as a young woman and became friends with writers such as Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence. Her writing style was influenced by Anton Chekhov; like him, she focused on intimate moments that revealed character. She in turn influenced a generation of short story writers. She died in 1923 of tuberculosis.
"Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact."
– William James
American psychologist and philosopher William James, brother to author Henry James, wrote voluminously during his life, exploring a range of issues from a theory of emotion to a philosophy of history. He was born in New York in 1842 and wanted to be an artist, but his father disapproved. He obtained a medical degree but felt unsatisfied and depressed, leading to a crisis that he called his soul sickness. After this turning point, he began his fulfilling second career. He died in 1910.
"Freedom lies in being bold."
– Robert Frost
Robert Frost, the influential American poet known for his rural settings, uncluttered language, and meditative themes, wrote the poems, "A Road Not Taken" and "Mending Walls," among many others. He was born in San Francisco in 1874 and moved to Massachusetts at age 11. He ran a farm for ten years, selling it to move to England and become a full-time poet. After achieving his goal, he moved back to New Hampshire. His ambition was to write "a few poems it will be hard to get rid of." He died in 1963.
"To have that sense of one's intrinsic worth which constitutes self-respect is potentially to have everything."
– Joan Didion
American writer Joan Didion is known for her social commentary about California and the 60's generation. She was born in 1934 in Sacramento. Vogue hired her straight out of college after she won an essay prize sponsored by the magazine. She has written novels and nonfiction books, including Play It as It Lays and Slouching Toward Bethlehem, and collaborated with her late husband, John Gregory Dunne, on screenplays, including A Star Is Born. Her most recent book, The Year of Magical Thinking, was published in 2005. It is about her daughter's sudden hospitalization and coma and, five days later, her husband's death in December 2003. Her daughter died in August of 2005. Didion lives in New York City.
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood."
– Marie Curie
Marie Curie, the pioneering Polish-born French chemist, was the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different fields. She was born in Warsaw in 1867. No Polish school would admit a woman, so she worked as a governess, sending her sister through medical school in France. Her sister, in turn, sent her to the Sorbonne, where she met her husband, Pierre Curie. Together they studied radiology, discovering two new chemical elements and inventing the term "radioactivity." She died in 1934.