People Quiz: Quotes to Live By: 10 Questions | Who Said It?

Answer: Will Durant

Will Durant is one of the most quotable of historians and philosophers. He wrote the eleven-volume "Story of Civilization", so he knew how to be brief and to the point.

Answer: Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) was one of the wittiest men in history. There is more truth in that statement than can be explained here. Empiricism is the foundation of the scientific method. Bright students are often hindered by sitting in classes with average students. Unhindered schoolwork can certainly harm one's ability to be creative or "think outside the box."

Notice he said nothing bad about school. It simply cannot serve as the only source for a rounded education.

Answer: Clara Barton

Clara Barton served bravely as a nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1881 she founded the American Red Cross and also campaigned for the ratification of the Geneva Convention, legally protecting wounded soldiers in battle. She was head of the American Red Cross for its first 23 years.

You can visit the Clara Barton National Historic Site in Glen Echo, Maryland.

Answer: Patrick Henry

This marks the end of his speech to the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775. The whole speech is worth reading. There had been considerable discussion on how to appease King George III, but after this speech the crowd immediately began shouting, "To arms! To arms!" Both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were in attendance.

In fact, Thomas Jefferson had just spoken in favor of appeasement prior to Henry's famous speech.

Answer: Paul

This was written in a letter from Paul (Saul of Tarsus) to his friend and Christian leader, Timothy. It is found in 1 Timothy 6:10. The above quote is from the New International Version Translation.

Many people forget the "For the love of" part and think he meant that money itself is the source of all evil. Money, of course, is an inanimate tool that can be used compassionately or selfishly.

Answer: Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 and was the first Asian to do so. He was a poet, playwright, essayist, painter, song-writer, and wrote novels and short stories.

He was a contemporary of Gandhi and much of his writing supported Indian nationalism.

Answer: Thomas Edison

Edison is famous for his trial and error method of achievement. Certainly, inspiration played a huge role in many of his inventions, yet, that is the quote. And, in his case, there was some truth to it.

He first made the statement around 1903. In 1879, after trying thousands of different filaments, he finally discovered a carbon filament that glowed in a vacuum for 40 hours. He would later produce bulbs lasting over 1,500 hours. This serves as an excellent example of the 99% perspiration.

Answer: Will Rogers

Will Rogers was born in the Cherokee Nation, (now Oklahoma). He began his career as a skilled lassoer and came to be noted for his wisecracks. Though he only finished the 10th grade, he kept reading and doing his performances. Eventually he would star on Broadway and in many movies. He wrote 6 books, served as a radio commentator, and circled the globe 3 times, entertaining audiences including Presidents and Kings.

Will Rogers is another fellow, like Twain or Durant, whose words are nearly all worthy as notable quotations.

Answer: Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton was one of the most important scientists in history. His advances in optics, mathematics, and particularly his discovery of the laws of gravity are just a few of his greater achievements.

He wrote the "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" in 1687 and was truly a legend in his own time. He understood that his advances and accolades were largely based on the work of his predecessors like Galileo, and he was humble enough to say so.

Answer: Moses Maimonides

From his "Guide for the Perplexed", Chapter 32. Maimonides (Rambam) was a Jewish philosopher, and Torah scholar who was born around 1135 CE. Maimonides was influenced greatly by Aristotle and, of course, the Torah. He, in turn, influenced Thomas Aquinas, who quoted him extensively in his writings.