This post may contain affiliate sales links.
It is a fact that we tend to be more attentive when people of importance and influence are speaking or writing. This can be as a result of the speaker’s success and experience in the subject matter. It is beyond any doubt that we all want to learn from the vast and varied experiences of those that came before us, whether our plans are to be better human beings, successful in our businesses or even looking for motivation in anticipation of our next big move.
We look at historical figures and are interested to know how a man like Abraham Lincoln for example managed to become president of the United States after having very little in his early life and also how he managed to stay the course when his mom passed away whiles he was still a young kid and later, the owner of a failed grocery store.
Therefore, we gravitate and become attentive when people of influence are speaking or writing, we look for inspiration in creating a better us for the future.
Here are nine historical figures that are essentially giving us a pep talk as we anticipate our next move, number 8 is my personal favorite.
In almost all of these quotes, there is an action that is necessary to make us and the word a better place. In the case of Saladin he is saying to be gentle and kind , Martin Luther King is admonishing us to keep moving forward, whereas Mother Teresa is cautioning us as to how we treat people, Gandhi advising us to change ourselves and Lincoln telling us to create the future to better predict it. Aristotle and Maya Angelou reminding us that complacency is the road we take when we don’t know where we want to go.
I surely trust that you will enjoy reading and more so be inspired to make the move that has been on your minds for the longest while.
Here are nine quotes from each of my most influential people that made a difference in my life.
-
“I have become so great as I am because I have won men’s hearts by gentleness and kindliness.” ~ Saladin
Salah al-Din was a courageous Muslim leader who lived in the twelfth century and enjoyed firm Islamic foundations that made him adhere to the issues of Islam, which made him achieve great achievements. He united Egypt with Syria and recovered Jerusalem. He was known for his nobility and bravery. He was one of the best leaders known to mankind in the East and West. He was distinguished by wisdom and good treatment even with his Crusader enemies, a future war hero since his childhood.
-
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.
-
“Your true character Is most accurately measured by how you treat those who can do ‘Nothing’ for you” ~ Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa, known in the Catholic church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, devoted her life to caring for the sick and poor. Born in Macedonia to parents of Albanian-descent and having taught in India for 17 years, Mother Teresa experienced her “call within a call” in 1946. Her order established a hospice; centers for the blind, aged and disabled; and a leper colony. Further received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work in 1979.
-
“Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world; but to change ourselves.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi was the primary leader of India’s independence movement and the architect of a form of non-violent civil disobedience that would influence the world. Until Gandhi was assassinated in 1948, his life and teachings inspired activists including Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela
-
“The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. Most notably He brought about the emancipation of slaves, regarded as one of America’s greatest heroes due to his role as savior of the Union and emancipator of enslaved people. His rise from humble beginnings to achieving the highest office in the land is a remarkable story.
-
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” ~ Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama, Tibet’s political leader, has strived to make Tibet an independent and democratic state from China. He and his followers are exiled to India.
-
“Live life as though nobody is watching and express yourself as though everyone is listening.” ~ Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was the first Black president of South Africa, elected after time in prison for his anti-apartheid work. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Mandela was a social rights activist, politician and philanthropist who became South Africa’s first Black president from 1994 to 1999. After becoming involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942. For 20 years, he directed a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the South African government and its racist policies.
-
“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” ~ Aristotle
Aristotle was an Ancient Greek philosopher and scientist who is still considered one of the greatest thinkers in politics, psychology and ethics. When Aristotle turned 17, he enrolled in Plato’s Academy. In 338, he began tutoring Alexander the Great
-
“If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.” ~ Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist, poet and award-winning author known for her acclaimed 1969 memoir, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’, and her numerous poetry and essay collections.
I do hope you enjoy this piece and allow these influential people to make a difference in your lives.