
Abraham Lincoln
Mary Oliver
Tunga
The Dalai Lama
Fred Rogers
Stephen King
Derek Sivers
Ben Franklin
Gandalf
Jonathan
Barack Obama
Mahatma Gandhi
Michael
John Lennon
Brian
Randy Pausch
Evan Shoemaker
Malala Yousafzai
Claire
Mother Teresa
Willow
Kate
Eleanor Roosevelt
Kelsa
Albert Einstein
Mende Amartaivan
Amelia Earhart
Chase Adam
Nelson Mandela
Amy
Ellen DeGeneres
Amanda
Robin Williams
Emma Watson
Sarah
Wee
Brené Brown
Kevin
Princess Diana
Bonnie Nelson
John F. Kennedy
Steve Jobs
Rosa Parks
Elon Musk
Leslie
J.K. Rowling
Luke
Oprah Winfrey
Bari
Martin Luther King Jr.
Maya Angelou
Walt Disney
Michelle Obama
Megan
Dumbledore
Mozart Guerrier
Harriet Tubman
Becca
Calvin & Hobbes
Chris
Jenny Blake
Matt
Pieter
Seth
Shavon
Tristan
Will
Mark Twain
Leonardo da Vinci
Stephen Covey
Greg McKeown
Peter Diamandis
Austin Kleon
Paul Millerd
Dale Carnegie
Chris Guillebeau
Gary Vaynerchuk
Brian Johnson
Marcus Aurelius
Jostein Gaarder
Daniel Quinn
Cal Newport
Stephen Shapiro
Michael Pollan
Theodore Roosevelt
John Bogle
George Saunders
William McRaven
John Gardner
Jeff Bezos
Charlie Munger
Bill Gurley
Elizabeth Gilbert
Ken Robinson
Robert Waldinger
Simon Sinek
Barry Schwartz
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Seneca
Abigail Adams
Grace Bedell
John Keats
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Vincent van Gogh
Ernest Hemingway
E.B. White
Kurt Vonnegut
Amy Purdy
Photo credits
Mark Twain: photo by A.F. Bradley, New York, Public domain; Leonardo da Vinci: photo by Attributed to Francesco Melzi, Public domain; Stephen Covey: photo by Neshan H. Naltchayan, Public domain; Greg McKeown: photo by Bibbines77, CC BY 3.0; Peter Diamandis: photo by Brassfield, CC BY-SA 4.0; Austin Kleon: photo by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0; Dale Carnegie: photo by unknown photographer, Public domain; Chris Guillebeau: photo by Original: Jen Lemen from Silver Spring, USA Cropping: Mr. Granger, CC BY-SA 2.0; Gary Vaynerchuk: photo by Vaynermedia, CC0; Marcus Aurelius: photo by Daniel Martin, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jostein Gaarder: photo by Heike Huslage-Koch, CC BY-SA 4.0; Michael Pollan: photo by Cmichel67, CC BY-SA 4.0; Theodore Roosevelt: photo by Adam Cuerden, Public domain; John Bogle: photo by BillCramer, CC BY-SA 4.0; George Saunders: photo by Library of Congress Life, CC0; William McRaven: photo by United States Navy, Public domain; John Gardner: photo by U.S. Social Security Administration, Public domain; Jeff Bezos: photo by SECWAR, Public domain; Charlie Munger: photo by Nick, CC BY 2.0; Bill Gurley: photo by TechCrunch, CC BY 2.0; Elizabeth Gilbert: photo by Erik Charlton from Menlo Park, USA, CC BY 2.0; Ken Robinson: photo by Sebastiaan ter Burg, CC BY-SA 2.0; Simon Sinek: photo by Lance Cpl. Brendan Mullin, Public domain; Barry Schwartz: photo by Bill Holsinger-Robinson, CC BY 2.0; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: photo by librairie mollat, CC BY 3.0; Seneca: photo by Calidius, CC BY-SA 3.0; Abigail Adams: portrait by Benjamin Blyth, Public domain; Grace Bedell: photo by unknown photographer, Public domain; John Keats: portrait by William Hilton, Public domain; Ralph Waldo Emerson: photo by unknown photographer, Public domain; Vincent van Gogh: self-portrait, Public domain; Ernest Hemingway: photo by Lloyd Arnold, Public domain; E.B. White: photo, Cornell University senior photograph, Public domain; Kurt Vonnegut: photo by WNET-TV/PBS, Public domain; Amy Purdy: photo by Thatcher Cook for PopTech, CC BY-SA 2.0. Via Wikimedia Commons; cropped. Daniel Quinn: photo from Ishmael.org; Cal Newport: press photo by Penny Gray Photography; Stephen Shapiro: photo from stephenshapiro.com; Brian Johnson: photo from Heroic; Robert Waldinger: photo from Aspen Ideas; Paul Millerd: press photo, courtesy of Paul Millerd. Press and publisher photos are used with credit to celebrate each person’s work. Colorized hover versions of the black-and-white photos were made with an automatic colorization model; the originals are unchanged.
Every day I start with this Focus page to keep me grounded and often I reflect on inspiring people who I admire. These people aren’t perfect, they have their flaws, but there’s something about each of them that inspires me to be better. I hope they can be helpful to you too. If you click on their photos above it might take you somewhere surprising: some I’ve interviewed or written books about, some I’ve admired from afar, and some are fictional characters who I find in books I love. Wherever they may be, maybe they can inspire you the way they have me.
Their stories
“We can do no great things — only small things with great love.”
Mother Teresa
Her most popular quotes, checked against her own words
Read →“When I’m feeling stuck, my instinct is to do less.”
Paul Millerd
Author of The Pathless Path
Read →“If my life were a book, and I was the author, how would I want my story to go?”
Amy Purdy
Paralympic snowboarder, dancer, author
Read →“The only way I was going to start a non-profit is if we built a non-profit that I personally would feel comfortable giving to.”
Chase Adam
Peace Corps Volunteer, founder of Watsi
Read →“I measure my success by how happy I am, not how big the business is or how much money I’ve made.”
Gary Vaynerchuk
Author of Crush It!
Read →“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Mary Oliver
Poet of attention and amazement
Read →“…the bedrock of our very being is good stuff.”
Mister Rogers
Television neighbor to generations of kids
Read →“Find the best in everybody.”
Randy Pausch
Professor, dad, and giver of the Last Lecture
Read →“Well done is better than well said.”
Ben Franklin
Printer, scientist, statesman, humorist
Read →“I would love to support you and your work.”
Brian Johnson
Philosopher and founder of PhilosophersNotes
Read →More inspirations are on their way
New profiles join this shelf as they’re ready. In the meantime, their words live all over the site:
366 meditations on gratitude, kindness, and the people who inspire us — one true story or quote for every day of the year, from Hatherleigh Press.
Read a sample & get notified →Follow along
One essay a week, every Saturday morning.