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Epictetus - (c. 50 – c. 135 AD) was a Greek Stoic philosopher born into slavery at Hierapolis, Phrygia in present-day Pamukkale (Turkey). He lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis, Greece, where he spent the rest of his life. Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not a theoretical discipline and that all external events are beyond our control. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.

Hungarian Proverb. Sometimes attributed to Edgar Allen Poe.

Dougal Robertson (1924–1992) was a Scottish author and sailor born in Edinburgh who survived with his family being adrift at sea for 38 days after their 43-foot schooner, the Lucette, was sunk by a pod of killer whales in 1972 while on circumnavigation of the world trip. He recounted the ordeal in his books “Survive the Savage Sea” and "Sea Survival – A Manual" More

Eric Hoffer - (1902 –1983) was an American moral and social conservative philosopher. His first book, The True Believer (1951), was widely recognized as a classic, receiving critical acclaim from both scholars and laymen. Almost overnight, the San Francisco dockworker became a public figure. Recognized as a highly original thinker, he became known as the Longshoreman Philosopher. After The True Believer, he published ten more books. he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983. More

Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (1921 – 1991) was an American television producer and screenwriter. He was the creator of the science fiction franchise, Star Trek. Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, where his father was a police officer. During World War II, Roddenberry flew 89 combat missions in the Army Air Forces and worked as a commercial pilot after the war. Later, he began to write for television. More

Dorothy Ann Richards (1933 – 2006) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. A Democrat, she was elected to become Texas State Treasurer and then the second female governor of Texas (the first being Miriam A. Ferguson), and was frequently noted in the media for her outspoken feminism and her one-liners.
This quote is from her keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention

Richard Carlson (1961 – 2006) was an American author, psychotherapist, and motivational speaker. His 1997 book, "Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff...and it’s all Small Stuff" was on the USA Today's and New York Times Best Seller lists. He wrote 20 books. He received his bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University and his PhD. from Sierra University. He was considered one of the foremost experts in happiness and stress reduction around the world. Carlson died suddenly from a pulmonary embolism during a flight from San Francisco to New York. He was married to Kristine Carlson. More

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821 – 1881), sometimes transliterated as Dostoyevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded by many literary critics as one of the greatest novelists in all of world literature, as many of his works are considered highly influential masterpieces. His most acclaimed novels include Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons (1872), and The Brothers Karamazov.

Latin proverb sometimes attributed to Virgil as "Destitutus ventis, remos adhibere." It translates as “If the wind will not serve, take to the oars.”
The proverb emphasizes self-reliance and the importance of taking action instead of waiting for conditions to improve. 

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (1899 – 1980) was an English film director, known as the "Master of Suspense". He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema having directed over 50 feature films over his 60 year career.  Hitchcock became as well known as any of his actors thanks to his many interviews and his cameo appearances in most of his films. Although he never won the award for Best Director, despite five nominations, his films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six wins.

A Greek philosophical maxim inscribed upon the Temple of Apollo in the ancient Greek precinct of Delphi. The best-known of the Delphic maxims, it has been quoted, analyzed by applied in many ways. Although traditionally attributed to the Seven Sages of Greece, or to the god Apollo himself, the inscription likely had its origin in a popular proverb. The principal meaning of the phrase in its original application was "know your limits" – either in the sense of knowing the extent of one's abilities, knowing one's place in the social scale, or knowing oneself to be mortal. In the 4th century BC, however, the maxim was drastically re-interpreted by Plato, who understood it to mean, broadly speaking, "know your soul".

Octavio Paz (1914 – 1998) was a Mexican poet, essayist and diplomat. Paz was a prolific author and poet publishing many works during his lifetime. He grew up under poor circumstances, but access to his grandfather’s library at an early age, sparked his interest in literature. He published his first poems in 1931 when still a teenager. Two years later, at the age of nineteen, he published Luna Silvestre (Wild Moon), a collection of poems. In 1997 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. The above quote, was originally written in Spanish as: "Aprender a dudar es aprender a pensar".  More