Key Takeaways

• Buckminister Fuller is considered one of the wisest in his time because he was one of the "world's first futurists and global thinkers" during that period in the 20th century. He was perhaps best known as the inventor of the Geodesic Dome, the strongest, lightest, most cost-effective structure ever devised; today, there are over 300,000 domes in the world, "some of them the centerpieces of major world exhibits."
• Leonid Tolstoy was known for his writings which contain philosophical and moral texts. Tolstoy is regarded as one of the wisest individuals of his time mainly due to his two works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, which, even today, are still commonly regarded as among the finest novels ever written. He was influential and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Russian novelists and philosophical writers of all time.
• Stephen Hawking is considered one of the wisest physicists of the 20th century due to the contributions he has made to science, particularly to the understanding, of black holes, gravity, and cosmology.

Introduction

Buckminster Fuller

• Buckminster Fuller was a renowned inventor and visionary born in the 20th century. He authored 28 books, held 28 patents, and received 47 honorary degrees throughout the course of his life. He worked across multiple fields, such as science, design, engineering, geometry, architecture, education, and cartography, with a goal to "make the world work for 100% of humanity." Fuller was perhaps best known as the inventor of the Geodesic Dome, the strongest, lightest, most cost-effective structure ever devised; today, there are over 300,000 domes in the world, "some of them the centerpieces of major world exhibits." He was also noted for his unorthodox ideas on global issues.
• Buckminster Fuller is considered one of the wisest in his time because, during that period, he had established himself as one of the "world's first futurists and global thinkers." The impact he still has on the world today can be found in his continued influence upon generations of scientists, architects, designers, and artists.
• "I live on Earth at present, and I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing — a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process – an integral function of the universe."
• “I am convinced that creativity is a priori to the integrity of the universe and that life is regenerative and conformity meaningless.”

Pema Chodron

• Born on July 14th, 1936, Pema Chodron is a best-selling author and one of the best-known American Buddhist teachers. Chodron is widely known for her "charming and down-to-earth interpretation of Tibetan Buddhism for Western audiences."
• She is considered one of the wisest in her time because of her devotion to the pursuit of knowledge on the nature of human suffering and fears. She was the author of influential books such as "The Wisdom of No Escape," "Start Where You Are," and "When Things Fall Apart." Her influential writings explore Buddhist concepts and offer paths to conquering subjects such as suffering, fear, and tough times.
• "The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves."
• "The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently."
• "Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s out there without knowing yet, if we have the courage to face it."

J. Sig Paulson

• J. Sig Paulson served as head of the Department of World Unity at Unity School of Christianity for many years. Paulson is considered wise by those familiar with his work. He was a best-selling author and minister of Unity Village Chapel. He also served on the International New Thought Alliance Executive Board and was influential in helping lead the New Thought Movement forward.
• "Your master purpose of being yourself is giving new meaning and depth to all the activities of your life."

John Maxwell

• John Maxwell is a No. 1 New York bestselling author, speaker, and coach who has sold over 24 million books in 50 million books in 50 languages. Maxwell is the founder of The John Maxwell Team, The John Maxwell Company, and EQUIP, a non-profit organization that has trained over five million leaders in 180 countries. In 2014, Maxwell was identified as the "most popular leadership expert in the world." Maxwell is mainly recognized as an influential leadership authority. His books contain snippets of wisdom mainly on the topics of leadership and personal growth.
• "As a leader, you will never get ahead until your people are behind you."
• "Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.
• "The leader's attitude is like a thermostat for the place she works. If her attitude is good, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the environment is easy to work in. But if her attitude is bad, the temperature is insufferable."

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff

• Gurdjieff was an influential spiritual teacher; he believed that most human beings live their lives in a state of "waking sleep," and that it is possible to rise to a higher level of consciousness by means of spirituality. He was considered to be among the wisest of his time because of his highly influential teachings relating to self-awareness in one’s daily life and "humanity’s place in the universe."
• "Without self-knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave."
• "There is a cosmic law which says that every satisfaction must be paid for with a dissatisfaction."

Lisa Randall

• Lisa Randall is an American theoretical physicist and professor at Harvard University.
• She is considered to be among the wisest individuals today because of her contributions in science, which have ultimately improved our understanding of topics such as the Standard Model of particle physics, supersymmetry, cosmological inflation, baryogenesis, and dark matter. Randall's work connects theoretical insights to puzzles in our current understanding of the properties and interactions of matter. She had studied and developed a wide variety of models to address some of the most important questions in her field, the most prominent involving extra dimensions of space.
• "The best science frequently combines an awareness of broad and significant problems with focus on an apparently small issue or detail that someone very much wants to solve or understand. Sometimes these little problems or inconsistencies turn out to be the clues to big advances."
• "An almost indispensable skill for any creative person is the ability to pose the right questions. Creative people identify promising, exciting, and, most important, accessible routes to progress - and eventually formulate the questions correctly."

Gregg Braden

• Gregg Braden is a five-time New York Times best-selling author, international educator, and scientist. Braden was nominated for the Templeton Award as a result of his work, and many of his books have "received international translations." Braden is internationally renowned and is regarded as a pioneer in "bridging science, spirituality, and human potential."
• "Both science and mysticism describe a force that connects everything together and gives us the power to influence how matter behaves—and reality itself—simply through the way we perceive the world around us."
• "Manifestation begins with the willingness to make room in our beliefs for something that supposedly doesn’t exist. We create that “something” through the force of consciousness and awareness."
• "We’re part of a universe that is a work in progress. In this unfinished creation, we are tiny patches of the universe looking at itself—and building itself."

Stephen Hawking

• Stephen Hawking was a renowned scientist known for his work with black holes and relativity; he was the author of popular science books such as "A Brief History of Time." Hawking was known for the discoveries that he had made throughout his lifetime.
• Stephen Hawking is considered one of the wisest physicists of the 20th century due to the contributions he has made to science, particularly to the understanding, of black holes, gravity, and cosmology. One of Hawking's greatest contributions and arguably one of the biggest breakthroughs of the 20th century was the "Hawking Radiation."
• "We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special."
• "God may exist, but science can explain the universe without the need for a creator."
• "In my opinion, there is no aspect of reality beyond the reach of the human mind."

Leo Tolstoy

• Leo Tolstoy, born on August 28, 1828, was a Russian author regarded as one of the world's greatest novelists. Tolstoy was regarded as one of the wisest individuals of his time mainly due to his two works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, which, even today, are still commonly regarded as among the finest novels ever written. Especially during the last three decades, Tolstoy achieved world renown as a moral and religious teacher.
• Especially during the last three decades, Tolstoy achieved world renown as a moral and religious teacher. Tolstoy's thoughts eventually garnered a following, named the Tolstoyans, who were a" Christian anarchist group devoted to living out and spreading Tolstoy’s teachings."
• "When you love someone, you love the person as they are, and not as you'd like them to be."
• "If you look for perfection, you'll never be content."

Mary Kupferle

• Mary Kupferle was the author of several books such as "God Will See You Through" and "Trust In The Goodness of God." She became an ordained minister in 1959. She was able to influence millions of readers through the wisdom of her words, particularly through her best-selling, "God Will See You Through."
• "It is also helpful and healing to listen more attentively to the voice of God within you than you have ever listened in your life."
• "The Spirit within you knows what you are to do regardless of what anyone else says, regardless of what any outer circumstance seems to dictate."

Neale Donald Walsch

• Neale Donald Walsch is an American author born on September 10, 1943. Walsch's books are said to have redefined the concept of God and had shifted spiritual paradigms around the globe. Walsch's vision is "an expansion and unification of all present theologies to render them more relevant to our present-day and time."
• He is renowned mainly because of the wisdom that he has imparted in his "With God" series of books, which had been translated into 34 languages, touched millions of lives, and inspired important changes in the day-to-day lives of readers.
• "The fastest way to apply anything in your life is to help others to apply it ... The fastest way to use any wisdom that resides in your soul is to help someone else ... Because we are all one."
• "Enlightenment is understanding that there is nowhere to go, nothing to do, and nobody you have to be except exactly who you're being right now."
• "There is no truth except the truth that exists within you. Everything else is what someone is telling you."

Joel Goldsmith

• Joel Goldsmith was a spiritual teacher, healer, and author. He was the author of several books, such as "The Art of Meditation." Goldsmith taught a mystical message based on spiritual principles revealed to him; he called this message, "The Infinite Way." Although Goldsmith's message was "neither organized nor advertised, students of The Infinite Way increased as people from around the world shared his spiritual wisdom."
• "Through prayer, you can be reunited with your Source. Your prayer will not be an asking or a seeking for anything; it will be an asking and a seeking and a knocking for more light, greater spiritual wisdom, greater discernment."
• "Be willing to be used by God; be willing to be used by Truth. Be willing to be an instrument through which Truth reveals Itself, but do not attempt to use God. Never try to use God, Truth. If you understood the nature of God, never would you pray to God for anything."

Research Strategy