I Think, Therefore I Speak Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leo Tolstoy

Lev Nikolayevitch (Leo) Tolstoy was born in 1828 and died in 1910. Not only was he an immensely powerful writer of novels, short stories, plays and essays, he was also a philosopher and social activist. His personality was a fascinating combination of deep mysticism and asceticism.

The quote above came from his novel "Anna Karenina" which was published as serial form between 1873 and 1877. It, and his other great work "War and Peace", are recognised as among the greatest novels of all time.

Answer: Voltaire

Born in Paris in 1694 as Francois-Marie Arouet, he was known by the pen name Voltaire that he used for his writings. Writer, historian, philosopher, this great thinker argued all his life for civil liberties, freedom of religion, free trade between nations and social reform.

These arguments echo throughout his more than 20,000 letters and 2,000 books and papers, and history sees him today as one of the leading voices in the lead up to the French Revolution. On his death in 1778, he was denied a Christian burial by the church.

Answer: John Ball

He continued by saying, "For if God would have had any bondmen from the beginning, he would have appointed who should be bond, and who free. And therefore I exhort you to consider that now the time is come, appointed to us by God, in which ye may (if ye will) cast off the yoke of bondage, and recover liberty."

John Ball (c. 1338-1381) was a roving preacher who followed the doctrines of John Wycliffe and emphasised the need for equality for all. His beliefs saw him, initially, excommunicated from the church. Then, following the failed Peasants Revolt his words had helped fire, he was captured, given a short trial and subsequently hanged, drawn and quartered, with his head left to adorn one of the pikes on London Bridge.

Answer: Aristotle

Aristotle, who lived from 384-322 BC, was a Greek philosopher who had been a student of Plato, and who in turn became teacher to Alexander the Great. He wrote on a vast number of subjects and history regards him as one of the greatest western philosophers that ever lived.

These include the following astonishing list of topics: Education, psychology, physics, metaphysics, poetry, theatre, music, literature, logic, rhetoric, biology, zoology, anatomy, astronomy, embryology, geography, geology, meteorology, aesthetics, ethics, politics, government, economics, linguistics, foreign customs and theology.

It has been stated of him that "he was probably the last person to know everything there was to be known in his own time".

Answer: Confucius

Confucius lived from 551-479 BC. He was born into a poor noble family, with his father dying when Confucius was only three, leaving him to be brought up by his mother. She lived long enough to see her son grown and happily married with a child of his own, before dying when he was twenty-three. This loss devastated him and he mourned for her for three years. For most of his life he toured the land, in the position of Justice Minister to which he had risen, expounding his thoughts and arguments.

His most famous teaching was "What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others". No texts survive that can definitely prove his authorship, and mankind has had to rely instead on documents that were written of his work and sayings some years after his death by others. Here is another one of his striking sayings: "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves".

Answer: Charles Darwin

Darwin (1809-1882) became famous with his theory of evolution through natural selection. His most noted work in this regard was the 1859 book "On the Origin of Species" which has created controversy ever since its initial publication. He's been described as one of the most influential figures in history.

Answer: Albert Einstein

Einstein (1879-1955) is classed by many to be the greatest scientist that ever lived. He contributed to many areas in the scientific world, but is known in particular for his Special and General Theories of Relativity and for his description of the Photoelectric Effect.

Answer: Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 and was assassinated in 1948. His was the voice that led the Indian push for independence from the United Kingdom, by calling on Indians to use the methods of non-cooperation, peaceful resistance and nonviolence against British rule. Sadly though, his actions led to the death of almost a million people.

As Gandhi walked up to address the congregation at a religious assembly, he was assassinated on 30 January 1948 by a disgruntled Hindu nationalist. This took place five months after India had gained independence, but had been split asunder with the formation of the country of Pakistan.

Answer: Martin Luther King Jr

Born in 1929 and murdered in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr was a Baptist minister and a leading activist in the Civil Rights movement in the USA in the 1960s. His stirring "I Have A Dream" speech called for the removal of the stigma associated with skin colour as a contributing factor in society.

He was assassinated on 4th April 1968 by escaped convict James Earl Ray. Captured and imprisoned after the assassination, Ray died in prison thirty years later, on 23rd April 23 1998.

Answer: Jesus

Found in Matthew, chapter 12:25 in the King James Bible, this is just one of the many profound statements made by Jesus during the time of his ministry on earth. Known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, or a host of other names, Jesus lived from circa 8-2BC to circa 29-36 AD.

He is considered in Christianity to be the Son of God who was sent to earth to be born into human form to take upon himself the sins of the world, so that mankind may be saved.