Here are quick bios of everyone quoted in Through God’s Eyes. I’ve put together these bios by pulling info off of Wikipedia and websites dedicated to the individual in question.
This post is a work in progress. Some people have proven difficult or impossible for me to identify, so any corrections or new information would be greatly appreciated. Let me emphasize that: I want to make this listing as perfect as possible, so your suggestions are expected and welcomed. Click here to e-mail me directly.
Abdu’l-Bahá‘ (1844-1921). Son of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í faith. Born Abbas Effendi in Tehran, Iran, he took the name Abdu’l-Bahá’, the “servant of Baha.” His father appointed him the one authorized interpreter of the Bahá’í teachings and as head of the faith after his own passing.
Ackerman, Diane (1948- ). American author, poet, and naturalist known best for her books, A Natural History of the Senses (a poetic investigation of the five senses) and The Zookeeper’s Wife (a nonfiction account of the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo who saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands). Her most recent book, the memoir, One Hundred Names for Love, was described by Booklist as, “A gorgeously engrossing, affecting, sweetly funny, and mind-opening love story of crisis, determination, creativity, and repair.” It was a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Circle Critics Award.
A Course in Miracles. A self-study metaphysical curriculum that promotes forgiveness as the road to inner peace and the remembrance of the unconditional love of God. No author is listed for the book, but Helen Schucman wrote it with the help of William Thetford, based on what she called an “inner voice” that she identified as Jesus.
Adams, Douglas (1952-2001). English writer and dramatist best known as the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which originated in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a “trilogy” of five books that sold more than fifteen million copies in his lifetime and generated a television series, several stage plays, comics, a computer game, and in 2005 a feature film.
Addison, Joseph (1672-1719). English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his lifelong friend, Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator magazine.
Adi Da Samraj (1939-2008). Born Franklin Albert Jones in Queens, New York, Adi Da was a spiritual teacher, writer and artist, and the founder of a new religious movement known as Adidam. Adi Da initially became known in the spiritual counterculture of the 1970s for his books and public talks, and for the activities of his religious community. His philosophy was essentially similar to many eastern religions which see spiritual enlightenment as the ultimate priority of human life.
Adler, Felix (1851-1933). German-born Jewish professor of political and social ethics, lecturer, religious leader, and social reformer who founded the Ethical Culture movement. He is considered one of the main influences on modern Humanistic Judaism.
Aeschylus (c. 525 -c. 426 BC). Often described as the “Father of Tragedy,” Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians (Sophocles and Euripides) whose plays can still be read or performed.
Aguilar, Grace (1816-1847). English novelist and writer on Jewish history and religion, poet, historical romance writer, religious reformer, educator, social historian, theologian, and liturgist.
Ajahn (or Achaan) Chah (1918-1992). Buddhist monk from Thailand. His simple yet profound style of teaching had a special appeal to Westerners, and many came to study and practice with him over the years. His training was quite harsh. He often pushed his monks to their limits, to test their powers of endurance so that they would develop patience and resolution. He sometimes initiated long and seemingly pointless work projects, in order to frustrate their attachment to tranquility. The emphasis was always on surrender to the way things are.
Akhenaton (c. 1380 BC -c. 1334 BC). Pharaoh during the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt (c. 1550 BC-c. 1292 BC), the father and predecessor of Tutankamen (aka King Tut), Akhenaton radically revised the Egyptian religious world, abandoning its traditional polytheism by instituting a unique form of monotheism.
Alcott, Louisa May (1832-1888). American novelist best known as author of the 1868 novel Little Women, which is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. The novel is loosely based on Alcott’s childhood experiences with her three sisters.
Alda, Alan (1936- ). American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A seven-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H; he also wrote and directed many of the episodes. Alda has the distinction of being nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy—and publishing a bestselling book, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I’ve Learned—all in the same year (2005). His Emmy nomination was for his role on The West Wing. His Tony nomination that year was for his role in the Broadway revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross. In addition to receiving an Academy Award nomination for his appearance in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator that year, he was also nominated for a British Academy Award. In 1994, Alda was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Alden, Robert (1836-1911). Reverend Edwin Hyde Alden, known as Robert Alden, is a real person as well as a character in the Little House on the Prairie series of books and the television series based on it. He was the minister of the Congregational Church in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, with Charles and Caroline Ingalls, parents of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, being among the first baptized members.
Alfassa, Mirra (The Mother) (1978-1973). Born in Paris to a Turkish Jewish father and an Egyptian Jewish mother, Mirra Alfassa was the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo. She came to Sri Aurobindo’s retreat in Pondicherry, India, in 1914. After 1926, when Sri Aurobindo retired into seclusion, she founded his ashram Sri Aurobindo Ashram), with a handful of disciples living around the Master. She became the leader of the community, a position she held until her death. Sri Aurobindo had considered her an incarnation of the Mother Divine and called her by that name: the Mother.
Allen, James (1864-1912). British philosophical writer known for his inspirational books and poetry and as a pioneer of the self-help movement. His best known work, As a Man Thinketh, was published in 1903.
Allingham, Margery (1904-1966). English crime writer, foremost among the writers who brought the detective story to maturity in the decades between the two world wars. She is best remembered for her detective stories featuring gentleman sleuth Albert Campion.
Amiel, Henri Frédéric (1821-1891). Swiss philosopher, poet, and critic. He is known for the book, the Journal Intime, (“Private Journal”), a masterwork of self-analysis by a man struggling for values against the skepticism of the age
Amos, Wally “Famous” (1936- ). American entrepreneur and author best known for founding the “Famous Amos” chocolate-chip cookie brand. An Air Force veteran who worked as a talent agent for the William Morris Agency, Amos would send home-baked chocolate-chip cookies to celebrities, hoping to entice them to let him represent them. Amos later cofounded Uncle Wally’s muffins.
Amritanandamayi Devi, Sri Mata (1953- ). Known simply as Amma (“Mother”) and “The Hugging Saint,” Indian-born Amritanandamayi is a Hindu spiritual leader and guru. She is globally respected for her humanitarian activities and is a revered as a saint by her followers.
Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982). Born Nirmala Sundari in what is now Bangladesh, Anandamayi Ma was a spiritual leader known for living in a near-perpetual state of ecstasy. The name Anandamayi, which Paramahansa Yogananda translated as “joy-permeated,” was bestowed upon her by her devotees in the 1920s to describe what they saw as her habitual state of divine joy and bliss.
Anandamurti, Shrii Shrii (1921-1990). Indian philosopher, author, social revolutionary, poet, composer, and linguist. Born Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, early disciples called him Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, Sanskrit for “bliss personified.” Ananda Marga, the organization he founded in India in 1955, advocates a practical philosophy for personal development, social service, and the all-around transformation of society. His system of spiritual practice has been described as a practical synthesis of Vedic and Tantric philosophies.
Andrews, Andy (1959- ). American corporate speaker and author of self-help books, Andrews is best known for his 2002 best-seller, The Traveler’s Gift. Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success. He has written more than twenty books and sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide.
Angelou, Maya (1928- ). American author, poet, teacher, speaker, and activist who is perhaps best known for her series of six autobiographies, The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing, tells of her life up to the age of seventeen. She is widely respected as a spokesperson for African-American people, especially women, and her works have been considered a defense of African-American culture. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning,” at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton.
Ann-Margret (1941- ). Swedish-American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her roles in Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Viva Las Vegas (1964), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Carnal Knowledge (1971), and Tommy (1975). She has won five Golden Globe Awards and been nominated for two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and six Emmy Awards.
Anouilh, Jean (1910-1987). French dramatist best known for his 1943 play Antigone, an adaptation of Sophocles’ classical drama. Much of Anouilh’s work deals with themes of maintaining integrity in a world of moral compromise.
Anthony, Dr. Robert. Living American author and psychotherapist. In Anthony’s own words from his Facebook page: I’ve spent the last thirty years unraveling the mysteries of “success” and how the mind holds the ultimate key to peak personal performance in all areas. In addition to being a Personal Performance Trainer, I am a licensed Psychotherapist, Hypnotist and bestselling author. I have authored over fifteen books, which have been published in twenty-two countries, including Beyond Positive Thinking and The Ultimate Secrets of Total Self-Confidence.
Aquinas, Thomas (1225-1274). Italian Dominican priest of the Roman Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism. He was the foremost classical proponent of natural theology, and the father of Thomism. His influence on Western thought is considerable; much of modern philosophy was conceived in development or refutation of his ideas, particularly in the areas of ethics, natural law, metaphysics, and political theory.
Ardant du Picq, Charles Jean Jacques Joseph (1821-1870). French Army officer and military theorist of the mid-nineteenth century whose writings, as they were later interpreted by other theorists, had a great effect on French military theory and doctrine.
Aristides, Marcianus. Second-century Greek Christian author who is primarily known as the author of the Apology of Aristides. St. Aristides delivered the Apology around the year 125. His feast day is August 31 in Roman Catholicism.
Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC). Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology. Together with Plato and Socrates (Plato’s teacher), Aristotle is one of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy. A prodigious researcher and writer, Aristotle left a great body of work, perhaps numbering as many as two-hundred treatises, from which approximately thirty-one survive. His extant writings span a wide range of disciplines, from logic, metaphysics and philosophy of mind, through ethics, political theory, aesthetics and rhetoric, and into such primarily non-philosophical fields as empirical biology, where he excelled at detailed plant and animal observation and taxonomy.
Ash, Mary Kay (1918-2001). American businesswoman and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. At the time of her death, Mary Kay Cosmetics had over eight hundred thousand representatives in thirty-seven countries, with total annual retail sales over $2 billion. She authored three books, all of which became bestsellers.
Ashe, Arthur (1943-1953). American professional tennis player. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles and achieved a World No. 1 ranking. An Africa- American, Ashe was the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. He is also remembered for his efforts to further social causes. He contracted HIV during blood transfusions he received during his second heart surgery, which ultimately led to his death. In the last year of his life, Ashe did much to call attention to AIDS sufferers worldwide.
Ashford, Jan. Current CEO of Communication Rights Australia, which helps people with communication difficulties access their rights through information and advocacy. Ashford, who has worked in the disability sector for more than twenty-five years, has been a strong advocate for the rights of people who have little or no speech. She has a background in social work, family counseling, and quality management, and has authored many publications in this area.
Ashtavakra Gita. Also known as the Song of Ashtavakra, the Ashtavakra Gita is a classical Advaita Vedanta scripture that documents a dialogue between the sage Ashtavakra and Janaka, king of Mithila. It dates back to c. 500-400 BCE, immediately after the Bhagavad Gita was written.
Asquith, Margot (1864-1945). Born Emma Alice Margaret Tennant in Scotland, Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith, was a socialite, author and wit. She was married to Herbert Henry Asquith, a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1894 until his death in 1928.
Auden, W. H. (1907-1973). English poet, born Wystan Hugh Auden, who later became an American citizen. The central themes of his poetry are love, politics and citizenship, religion and morals, and the relationship between unique human beings and the anonymous, impersonal world of nature.
Aughey, Rev. John Hill (1828-1911). Presbyterian minister living in Mississippi at the outbreak of the Civil War. Refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederate States or to respond to conscript notices, he was hunted as a fugitive. Imprisoned twice for his anti-secession, pro-Union beliefs, he escaped both times. He recounted his experiences in the book, Tupelo.
Augustine, Saint (354-430). Algerian-born saint, was one of the central figures in the history of Christianity. Augustine’s adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a theological system of lasting influence. His numerous written works, the most important of which are The Confessions of Saint Augustine and The City of God, helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought.
Aurelius, Marcus (121-180). Roman Emperor from 161-180. He expressed his philosophy in a collection of personal writings known as the Meditations, which reflect the influence of Stoicism.
Baba, Meher (1894-1969). Indian spiritual master, born Merwan Sheriar Irani. From the age of thirty-one to the end of his life, he maintained silence, communicating by means of an alphabet board or by unique hand gestures. With his circle of disciples, he spent long periods in seclusion, often fasting. He also traveled extensively and engaged in charity works with lepers, the poor and the mentally ill.
Babcock, Maltbie D. (1858-1901). American clergyman and writer who authored the hymn, This is My Father’s World. A 1910 biography said of him: “Babcock was preeminently a preacher. He was a clear thinker and a fluent speaker, with a marvelous personal magnetism which appealed to all classes of people, and the influence of which became in a sense national. His theology was broad and deep, yet without a touch of present-day uncertainty. Added to the genius of spirituality he had the genius of work, and it was owing to his unselfish devotion to the great work of uplifting mankind that he literally wore himself out and died at the early age of forty-two. Noted for his impartial charity, he reached people in countless ways and exerted everywhere a remarkable personal magnetism.”
Bach, Richard (1936- ). American author known for books such as Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Illusions, and The Bridge Across Forever, which celebrated his romance with Leslie Parrish. He is noted for his love of flying and for his books related to air flight and flying in a metaphorical context.
Bacon, Francis (1561-1626). English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, essayist, and author. A leading figure in natural philosophy and in the field of scientific methodology in the period of transition from the Renaissance to the early modern era, he has been called the creator of empiricism. His works established and popularized inductive methodologies for scientific inquiry, often called the Baconian method, or simply the scientific method.
Bakunin, Mikhail (1814-76). Russian political theorist. In 1849, after years of revolutionary efforts throughout Europe, Bakunin was arrested. Twelve years later, he escaped Siberia and travelled through Japan and North America to London. It was after his imprisonment that Bakunin wrote the large majority of his political works, and further consolidated and refined his anarchistic theory. The driving force throughout his life, unquestionably stronger after his escape from prison, was towards emancipating the human spirit—to achieve equality and liberty for all people.
Baldwin, Christina. Living American author best known for her book, Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story. Through her educational company, PeerSpirit, Inc., Baldwin speaks in large conferences to excite story activism, consults with organizations to build foundational and strategic stories, offers in-depth writing seminars, and co-leads wilderness immersion experiences.
Baldwin, James (1924-1987). American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. Most of Baldwin’s essays, such as the collection Notes of a Native Son, explore the intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions of mid-20th-century America. Baldwin’s best-known novel is his first, Go Tell It on the Mountain.
Balzac, Honoré de (1799-1850). French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively titled The Human Comedy, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. Regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature, Balzac is known for his multifaceted, morally ambiguous characters.
Barclay, William (1907-1978). Scottish theologian, author, radio and television presenter, Church of Scotland minister, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow. He expressed his belief in universal salvation in A Spiritual Autobiography, when he wrote, “I am a convinced universalist. I believe that in the end all men will be gathered into the love of God.”
Barr, Amelia (1831-1919). British author of historical romances set in England and the United States, including Remember the Alamo, which inspired the 1960s film version starring John Wayne. Barr wrote of her full and adventurous life, full of hardship and glory, in her autobiography All the Days of My Life (1913);
Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew) (1860-1937). Scottish novelist and playwright best known as the creator of Peter Pan, a character he introduced in the 1902 novel, The Little White Bird. Perhaps to escape his difficult home life, Barrie took to going out for long walks in London’s Kensington Gardens, where he met the five Llewelyn Davies brothers in the late 1890s. The boys inspired him to create the character of Peter Pan. Barrie would later become the boys’ guardian after the death of their parents.
Barry, Lynda (1956- ). American cartoonist and author best known for her weekly comic strip, Ernie Pook’s Comeek.
ERNIE POOK’S COMEEK
Barton, Bruce (1886-1967). American author, advertising executive, and politician. As the primary creative force at BBDO, the advertising agency he cofounded, he created the character of Betty Crocker for General Mills. Barton served in the U.S. Congress from 1937 to 1940 as a Republican from New York. He authored the 1925 bestseller, The Man Nobody Knows, which portrays Jesus as a first-rate executive who knew he was destined for greatness.
Baruch, Bernard (1870-1965). American financier, stock investor, philanthropist, statesman, and political consultant. He immersed himself in learning the brokerage business and became a millionaire by the time he was thirty. Baruch was a confidante to six presidents and advised Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt on economic matters in wartime.
Baxter, J. Sidlow (1903-1999). Born in Australia and raised in England, Baxter was a pastor, theologian and author who concentrated on analyzing the Bible and advocating a Christian theological perspective. His most popular work was Explore the Book, a 1,760-page tome that analyses and summarizes each book of the Bible.
Bearden, Romare (1911-1988). American artist whose work encompasses a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature, and world art. Bearden was also a celebrated humanist, as demonstrated by his lifelong support of young, emerging artists. Bearden was also a respected writer and an eloquent spokesman on artistic and social issues of the day. Active in many arts organizations, in 1964 Bearden was appointed the first art director of the newly established Harlem Cultural Council, a prominent African-American advocacy group.
Beattie, Melody (1948- ). American author of Codependent No More, published in 1987 by the Hazelden Foundation. The book was influential within the self-help movement, selling over eight million copies and introducing the word “codependent” to the general public. Similar to the work of Bill W. and Alcoholics Anonymous five decades earlier, Beattie’s early work synthesizes psychoanalytic theory into language that people can easily grasp and use. Beattie’s early works served as the first “Big Book” for a 12-Step program called Co-Dependents Anonymous.
Beauvoir, Simone de (1908-1986). French writer, intellectual, existentialist philosopher, political activist, feminist, and social theorist who had a significant influence on both feminist existentialism and feminist theory. Beauvoir wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and social issues. She is perhaps best known for her 1949 treatise, The Second Sex, a detailed analysis of women’s oppression and a foundational tract of contemporary feminism.
Beck, Charlotte Joko (1917-2011). American Zen teacher and the author of the books Everyday Zen: Love and Work and Nothing Special: Living Zen. She began Zen practice in her forties with Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi in Los Angeles, and later with Hakuun Yasutani and Soen Nakagawa. Beck, who founded the Zen Center San Diego in 1983, was responsible for a number of important innovations in Zen teaching. In particular, she taught students to work with the emotions of everyday life rather than attempting to avoid or escape them.
Beecher, Henry Ward (1813-1887). American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, essayist, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God’s love, and his 1875 adultery trial (which ended in a hung jury). Following the Civil War, Beecher supported social reform causes such as women’s suffrage and temperance. He also championed Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, stating that it was not incompatible with Christian beliefs. He was one of the nation’s best-known preachers and a star of the lecture circuit. Beecher’s long career in the public spotlight led biographer Debby Applegate to call him The Most Famous Man in America. His books included Summer in the Soul and and Evolution and Religion. Beecher might best be remembered by some as the subject of a clever limerick by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.:
The Reverend Henry Ward Beecher,
Called the hen a most admirable creature.
The hen, pleased with that,
Laid an egg in his hat,
And thus did the hen reward Beecher.
Bender, Betty (1948- ). American motivational speaker, consultant, and trainer in communications and management development.
Benedict, Mellen-Thomas. Living American stained-glass artist and technology consultant who lectures on longevity, energy medicine, and phototherapy. After “dying” from terminal brain cancer in 1982, Benedict returned to this life to find that his body had been healed. During Benedict’s NDE (near-death experience), in which his body showed no vital signs for ninety minutes, he says he journeyed through various afterlife realms and absorbed spiritual and scientific knowledge. He’s shared his experiences and learnings in a DVD called Spirit of Gaia and a 3-CD set called Insights from the Other Side.
Bennett, Arnold (1867-1931). English writer, journalist, and novelist. He is perhaps best known for his nonfiction book, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day. Soon after the outbreak of the First World War, the head of the War Propaganda Bureau (WPB) invited twenty-five leading British authors to discuss ways of best promoting Britain’s interests during the war. Bennett soon became one of the most important figures in this secret organization, writing propaganda pieces to support the war effort.
Benson, Arthur Christopher (1862-1925). English essayist, poet, and author and the 28th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. A distinguished academic and prolific author, his poems and essays were famous in his day; and he left one of the longest diaries ever written, some four million words. Today, he is best remembered as the author of the words of one of Britain’s best-loved patriotic songs, Land of Hope and Glory.
Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint (1090-1153). a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order. Bernard was instrumental in re-emphasizing the importance of Lectio Divina and contemplation on Scripture within the Cistercian order. He considered Lectio Divina and contemplation guided by the Holy Spirit the keys to nourishing Christian spirituality.
Bhagavad Gita. The holiest of ancient Hindu scriptures, the Song of the Bhagavan, often referred to as simply the Gita, is a 700-verse scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Paramahansa Yogananda wrote a popular and respected translation and interpretation called God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita
Bianco, Frank (1931- ). American journalist, photographer, and former Maryknoll seminarian. He wrote the book, Voices of Silence: Lives of the Trappists Today, after living for periods of time in various Trappist monasteries in the United States and France, interviewing the monks and taking candid photographs. Though he respected the monks’ privacy by changing some names and details, Bianco presented an up-close-and-personal account of the monastic life.
Bierce, Ambrose (1842-1914). American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, and satirist. He compiled a satirical lexicon called The Devil’s Dictionary. His sardonic view of human nature and his motto, “Nothing matters,” earned him the nickname “Bitter Bierce.” Bierce’s distinctive writing style is often expressed via an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, impossible events, and the theme of war. At the age of seventy-one, Bierce disappeared under mysterious circumstances and was never heard from again.
A sample entry from The Devil’s Dictionary:
ABSTAINER, n. A weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure. A total abstainer is one who abstains from everything but abstention, and especially from inactivity in the affairs of others.
Billings, Josh (1818-1885). Josh Billings was the pen name of 19th-century American humorist Henry Wheeler Shaw. In the latter half of the 19th century, Billings was a prominent humor writer and lecturer, perhaps second in popularity only to Mark Twain. He offered his philosophical comments in plain language through his newspaper pieces, books, and comic lectures. He employed the misspellings, fractured grammar, and questionable logic that was current among humorists who presented themselves as cracker-barrel philosophers. His books include Josh Billings: Hiz Sayings, with Comic Illustrations.
Bistami, Bayazid al- (c. 804 BC-874 BC). Persian Sufi born in the northeastern Iranian town of Bistam who had a great influence on Sufi mysticism and is considered to be one of the important early teachers of Sufi Islam. He made a detailed study of the statutes of Islamic law (shari’a) and practiced a strict regimen of self-denial (zuhd). Shortly before he died, someone asked him his age. He said: “I am four years old. For seventy years I was veiled. I got rid of my veils only four years ago.”
Blake, William (1757-1827). English poet, painter, and printmaker. He enjoyed little recognition and acclaim during his lifetime, but is now considered hugely influential with regard to the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. Blake’s first collection of poems, Poetical Sketches, was printed around 1783. His other books include William Blake: The Complete Illuminated Books, The Poems of William Blake, and The Complete Poetry & Prose of William Blake.
Bloch, Alice. I have not yet been able to identify this person.
Bloom, Amy (1953- ). American author of three novels, three collections of short stories, and a nominee for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, and numerous anthologies here and abroad. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, and has won a National Magazine Award. Her novels include Away, an epic story about a Russian immigrant, and Lucky Us, about two sisters who journey across 1940s America.
Blyth, Reginald Horace (1898-1964). English author and devotee of Japanese culture. In 1949, with the publication in Japan of the first volume of Haiku, Blyth’s four-volume work, haiku was introduced to the post-war Western world. Today he is best known as a major interpreter of haiku for English speakers.
Bodhidharma (5th – 6th centuries). Credited as the father of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma was an Indian prince who eschewed a life of politics. He chose instead to study with the famous Buddhist master Prajnatara and become a Buddhist monk. Years later, when his master passed away, Bodhidharma followed his master’s instructions and moved to China, where he was known as Da Mo.
Boese, Paul (1923-1976). American businessman and lifelong resident of Kansas. In addition to owning and managing the Newton, Kansas Dairy Queen, Boese was an avid writer of philosophical musings and short inspirational quotes. He was a regular contributor to Quote: The Weekly Digest, published by Droke House, Inc. Boese died following a heart attack while stocking shelves at his store. As per his wishes, he was buried on private farmland near a fruit orchard he helped plant by hand. On his gravestone is another of his quotes: “When I die, cry not the tears of bitterness but the tears of sadness for the loss of love.”
Boethius (c. 480–524 or 525 AD). Roman philosopher born Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius. He entered public life at a young age and was already a senator by the age of twenty-five. Boethius was imprisoned and eventually executed by King Theodoric the Great, who suspected him of conspiring with the Eastern Roman Empire. While jailed, Boethius composed The Consolation of Philosophy, a philosophical treatise on fortune, death, and other issues. Boethius, long recognized as one of the most important intermediaries between ancient philosophy and the Latin Middle Ages, had a gift for making philosophical ideas dramatic and accessible to a wider public. He had previously translated Aristotle’s logical works into Latin, written commentaries on them as well as logical textbooks, and used his logical training to contribute to the theological discussions of the time.
Bonvoisin, Ariane de. Living American author, speaker, entrepreneur, and expert on change. She is the founder and CEO of The First 30 Days, a website for helping people make changes in their lives. Her books include The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Making Any Change Easier.
Boone, Louis Eugene (1941-2005). American academic author whose works covered contemporary business and economics. With David L. Kurtz, he coauthored the university-level texts Contemporary Marketing and Contemporary Business. His last residence was in Mobile, Alabama, where he was the emeritus professor of business at the University of South Alabama.
Borges, Jorge Luis (1899-1986), Argentinian poet, essayist, and short-story writer, whose tales of fantasy and dreamworlds are classics of 20th-century world literature. Borges, who was profoundly influenced by European culture and English literature, created a fictional universe that was born from his vast and esoteric readings in literature, philosophy, and theology.
Borland, Hal (1900-1978). American author and journalist. In addition to writing several novels and books about the outdoors, including Hal Borland’s Book of Days, he wrote “outdoor editorials” for The New York Times for more than thirty-five years, from 1941 to 1978. His best-known novel is a young adult classic called When the Legends Die, the tale of a young Ute Indian boy who is raised in the wilderness by his parents. After his parents die, he lives off the land but struggles to live apart from white society. Finally, he returns to the mountains where he rediscovers himself and his roots. The book was made into a 1972 film by the same name.
Bounds, E. M. (1835-1913). American author, attorney, and Methodist minister. Of his eleven books, nine of which focused on the subject of prayer, only two were published before he died. Perhaps his best-known book is Power Through Prayer. After Bounds’ death, Rev. Claudius (Claude) Lysias Chilton, Jr., an admirer of Bounds, worked on preserving and preparing Bounds’ collection of manuscripts for publication. Chilton said of Bounds’ books, “These books are unfailing wells for a lifetime of spiritual water-drawing. They are hidden treasures, wrought in the darkness of dawn and the heat of the noon, on the anvil of experience, and beaten into wondrous form by the mighty stroke of the divine. They are living voices whereby he, being dead, yet speaketh!”
Bowles, Paul (1910-1999). American expatriate composer, author, and translator. He studied music with Aaron Copland, and wrote music for various New York theatrical productions. He achieved critical and popular success with the publication in 1949 of his first novel The Sheltering Sky, set in what was known as French North Africa, which he had visited in 1931. In 1947, Bowles settled in Tangier, Morocco, and remained there until his death.
Boyle, Robert (1627-1691). Irish philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor. One of the leading intellectual figures of the seventeenth century. Boyle is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern chemistry and one of the pioneers of modern experimental scientific method. He is best known for Boyle’s law, which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas, if the temperature is kept constant within a closed system. Among his works, The Sceptical Chymist is seen as a cornerstone book in the field of chemistry.
Bradbury, Ray (1920-2012). One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, Bradbury is best known for his dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, and for the science fiction and horror stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man. Many of Bradbury’s works have been adapted into comic books, television shows and films. He was a recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2004 National Medal of Arts, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.
Braden, Gregg (1954- ). American author and pioneer in bridging science, ancient wisdom, and the real world. For nearly three decades, Braden has explored high mountain villages, remote monasteries, and forgotten texts to merge their timeless secrets with the best science of today. His books include The God Code, The Divine Matrix, and Deep Truth. Following a successful career as a computer geologist for Phillips Petroleum during the 1970s energy crisis, Braden worked as a Senior Computer Systems Designer with Martin Marietta Defense Systems during the final years of the Cold War. In 1991, he became the first Technical Operations Manager for Cisco Systems.
Bradshaw, John (1933- ). American educator, counselor, motivational speaker, and author who has hosted a number of PBS television programs on topics such as codependency, addiction, and recovery. Active in the self-help movement, Bradshaw is credited with popularizing such ideas as the “wounded inner child” and the dysfunctional family. In his promotional materials and in interviews and reviews of his work he is often referred to as a theologian. His books include Bradshaw On: The Family and Healing the Shame That Binds You.
Braithwaite, William Charles (1862-1922). British historian, specializing in the early history of the Society of Friends (Quakers). John Wilhelm Rowntree and Rufus Jones had set out in 1897 to write a “comprehensive history of Quakerism,” but Rowntree died unexpectedly at age thirty-six in 1905. Jones then invited Braithwaite to join the project. Consequently, it is Braithwaite who wrote the two classic histories which popularized this research—The Beginnings of Quakerism and The Second Period of Quakerism. In 1955, F. J. Smithen stated that The Beginnings of Quakerism was “still regarded as the standard work on the rise and early fortunes of the Quaker movement.”
Branden, Nathaniel (1930- ). American lecturer, psychotherapist, and author of twenty books on the psychology of self-esteem, romantic love, and the life and thought of Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand. A pioneer in the field of “the psychology of self-esteem,” Branden has done more than anyone else to link the importance of self-esteem to human well-being, a mission which began with his involvement in Ayn Rand’s “Inner Circle.” His books include The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, My Years With Ayn Rand, and The Psychology of Romantic Love.
Brault, Robert (1938- ). American computer software developer and freelance writer who contributed to magazines and newspapers for over forty years.
Brecht, Bertolt (1898-1956). German poet, playwright, theatre director, and Marxist. Brecht made significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter through the tours undertaken by the Berliner Ensemble, the post-war theatre company operated by Brecht and his wife, longtime collaborator and actress Helene Weige. There are few areas of modern theatrical culture that have not felt the impact or influence of Brecht’s ideas and practices. Brechtian theories and techniques have also exerted considerable sway over certain strands of film theory and cinematic practice. Brecht’s four great plays were written between 1938 and 1945, including Life of Galileo, which dealt with the protagonist’s self-hatred for giving up his convictions in the face of the Inquisition; Mother Courage and Her Children, which follows one of Brecht’s most enduring characters, Courage, as she trails armies across Europe in WWII, selling provisions from her canteen wagon; The Good Woman of Setzuan, which in some ways follows from Mother Courage in examining the compatibility of virtue and a capitalist world; and The Caucasian Chalk Circle, which introduces questions about power and who is entitled to own things.
Brennan, Barbara Ann (1939- ). American author, physicist, spiritual healer, businesswoman, and teacher working in the field of energy healing. Her first book, Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field, is considered a classic in the field of spiritual healing, with reportedly over one million copies in print in twenty-six languages. Her second book is called, Light Emerging: The Journey of Personal Healing. Brennan, who says she receives intuitive information about her clients during sessions, sees repetitive patterns in energy fields that indicate common roots underlying her clients’ difficulties. She has created a type of energy healing techniques that she calls “full spectrum healing” to work on the seven layers of the human energy field or auras.
Brilliant, Ashleigh (1933- ). British-born full-time epigrammatist now living in Santa Barbara, California. With a Ph.D. in history, Brilliant had three different careers: college teacher, drop-out and mock-hippie-guru in San Francisco, and semi-respectable businessman. He has been an author and syndicated cartoonist since 1973. He created “Pot Shots” post cards and authored humor books, including I May Not Be Totally Perfect, But Parts of Me Are Excellent and All I Want Is a Warm Bed and a Kind Word, and Unlimited Power.
Dannion Brinkley
Brinkley, Dannion (1950- ). American author and activist. Brinkley, who survived two lightning strikes, open-heart surgery, and brain surgery, which was followed by a grand mal seizure, wrote two bestselling books about his near-death experiences: Saved by the Light and At Peace in the Light. In his third book, Secrets of the Light, coauthored with his wife, Kathryn, Brinkley describes his third near-death experience and offers spiritual strategies for raising consciousness and empowering daily life. An early crusader for hospice and palliative care, Brinkley cofounded The Twilight Brigade, one of the largest end-of-life-care volunteer programs for dying veterans in American history.
Brinkley, David
Bronner, Jr., Nathaniel
Brooke, Rupert (1887-1915). English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier. Popular in both literary and political circles, he befriended Winston Churchill, Henry James, and members of the Bloomsbury Group (an influential loose collective of English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists who lived, worked, or studied together near Bloomsbury, London, during the first half of the 20th century), including Virginia Woolf. After taking part in the Antwerp Expedition, he died of blood poisoning from a mosquito bite while en route to Gallipoli with the Navy. Following his death, Brooke, who was already famous, became a symbol in England of the tragic loss of talented youth during the war.
Brooke, Rev. Stopford A.
Brooks, Phillips
Brother Lawrence (c. 1614-1691). French mystic Nicholas Herman, aka Brother Lawrence, was converted to a powerful love of God at age eighteen by a humble observation of a barren tree in the depth of winter. In the six years between his revelation and his joining the Discalced Carmelite Priory in Paris, he fought in the Thirty Years’ War and later served as a valet. He entered the priory in Paris as a lay brother, not having the education necessary to become a cleric, and took the religious name, “Lawrence of the Resurrection.” He spent almost all of the rest of his life within the walls of the priory, working in the kitchen for most of that time and as a repairer of sandals in his later years. He is best known for the book, The Practice of the Presence of God, which was compiled after his death from four interviews with the envoy of Cardinal de Noailles and from his own letters.
Brothers, Dr. Joyce
Brotherton, J.
Brown, Jr., H. Jackson
Brown, Rita Mae
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett
Browning, Ophelia G.
Brunton, Paul
Bryan, William Jennings
Bryant, William Cullen (1794-1878). American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post.
Buber, Martin
Buddha
Buechner, Frederick
Bujold, Lois McMaster
Bunyan, John
Burgess, Gelett
Burke, Edmund
Burns, Robert
Burroughs, John
Buscaglia, Leo
Bussy-Rabutin, Roger de
Butterworth, Eric
Byrne, Robert
Byron, Lord
Caesar, Julius
Calvin, John
Campbell, Joseph
Camus, Albert
Carretto, Carlo
Carey, Sandra. I have absolutely no idea who this is.
Carlyle, Thomas
Carnegie, Dale
Carpenter, Liz (1920-2010). American writer, feminist, reporter, media advisor, speechwriter, political humorist, and public relations expert. She was the author of Getting Better All the Time and Unplanned Parenthood: Confessions of a Seventy-Something Surrogate Mother. Carpenter was a speechwriter for vice president Lyndon B. Johnson, the press secretary and chief of staff for First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, and founder of the Texas Women’s Political Caucus.
Carrel, Alexis
Carrey, Jim
Castaneda, Carlos
Cather, Willa (1873-1947). American author best known for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!.
Saint Catherine of Siena
Caussade, Jean-Pierre de
Cayce, Edgar
Chambers, Oswald
Chanel, Gabrille “Coco”
Channing, William Henry
Chapin, Edwin Hubbell
Charlton, Hilda
Chase, Stuart
Chaudhuri, Haridas (1913-1975). Bengali integral philosopher who founded the California Institute of Integral Studies in 1951.
Chesterfield, Philip Lord
Chesterton, G. K.
Child, Lydia M.
Chilon (6th century BC). A native of Sparta who became one of the Ephori, or chief magistrates of the state, and a poet who wrote a great number of elegiac verses. He was known for his laconic wit, and for his belief in prudence, self-restraint, and careful judgment. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece, the title given by ancient Greek tradition to seven early 6th century BC philosophers, statesmen and legislators who were renowned in the following centuries for their wisdom.
Chinmoy, Sri
Chödrön, Pema
Chopin, Frédéric
Chopra, Deepak
Chopra, Gautama
Christophers, The
Chuang Tzu
Churchill, Winston
Cicero
Clark, Dan
Clark, Frank A.
Cleathen, Al
Coates, Florence Earle
Cohen, Alan
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor
Colton, Charles Caleb
Confucius
Connolly, Cyril
Conrad, Joseph
Cooley, Mason
Corona, Vicki. Living American dance instructor, author, and owner of Dance Fantasy Cultural Arts Center and Dance Fantasy Productions in North Hollywood, California. Corona is a seasoned performer, choreographer, costumer, dance instructor, crafter, ethno-historian, publisher, booking agent, and a former U.S. Army Race Relations Expert. She has lived in many countries, traveled the planet extensively, and performed world dances professionally since the age of six.
Coué, Émile
Cousins, Norman
Covey, Stephen R.
Cowper, William
Craik, Dinah Maria
Crazy Horse
Cromwell, Oliver
Crowley, Mary C.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly
Culbertson, William
Cummings, E. E.
Cuomo, Mario
Dalai Lama, His Holiness the 14th
Darwin, Charles
Dass, Ram
Davis, Kenneth S.
Daya Mata, Sri
De Angelis, Barbara
Delano, Roger
de Mille, Agnes
Deng Ming-Dao
Descartes, René
Devi, Indra
DeVille, Alice. Living American astrologer, workshop presenter, and writer with expertise in romance and relationship dynamics.
DeVries, Peter
Dickens, Charles
Dickinson, Emily
Didion, Joan
Dillard, Annie
Dilley, Ingrid
Disraeli, Benjamin
Dixon, Jack
Donne, John (1572-1631). English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest. Donne is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets.
Dooley, Mike
Dossey, Dr. Larry
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor
Douglas, Norman
Douglas, William O.
Douglass, Frederick
Downs, Hugh
Drucker, Peter
Drummond, Henry (1851-1897). Scottish evangelist, writer, and lecturer. He is best known for his book, The Greatest Thing in the World, which encourages people to follow God’s two great commandments: to love God and to love each other.
Du Bos, Charles (1882-1939). French essayist and critic of French and English literature.
Dunham, Katherine
Dyer, Wayne
Earhart, Amelia
Easwaran, Eknath
Ebner-Eschenbach, Marie von
Eckhart, Meister
Eddington, Sir Arthur Stanley (1882-1944). English astrophysicist. The Eddington Limit, the natural limit to the luminosity of stars, or the radiation generated by accretion onto a compact object, is named in his honour.
Edgeworth, Maria
Edison, Thomas
Einstein, Albert (1879-1955). German-born theoretical physicist whose theory of relativity revolutionized physics.
Elimelech, Rabbi
Eliot, George
Eliot, T. S.
Elliot, Jim
Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-82). American poet, philosopher, essayist, and lecturer. Emerson led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century, expressing the philosophy of the movement in his 1836 essay, Nature.
Enright, Robert. Living American psychologist and professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He teaches courses in moral development with an emphasis on the psychology of forgiveness. The author of Forgiveness Is a Choice: A Step-by-Step Process for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope, Enright is a popular speaker on the moral development of forgiveness, with his work appearing in such outlets as Time magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and ABC’s 20/20. Enright’s National Conference on Forgiveness was the first of its kind on any university campus. He considers his recently published book, The Forgiving Life, to be his strongest work to date. His website, InternationalForgiveness.com, includes up-to-date discussions about forgiveness across the globe.
Ephron, Nora
Epictetus (c. 55–c. 135). Greek sage and Stoic philosopher. His teachings were noted down and published by his pupil Arrian in The Discourses.
Epicurus
Erhard, Werner
Essenes, The
Faber, Frederick William
Fairchilde, Lily
Fénelon, François
Fen-Yang
Ferguson, Marilyn
Fielding, Henry
Firebaugh, Doug
Fitzgerald, Zelda
Flanigan, Beverly
Fleming, Anne Taylor
Flint, Cort R.
Foch, Ferdinand
Follett, Mary Parker
Forbes, Malcolm
Ford, Leighton
Fowler, Ellen Thorneycroft
Fox, Emmet
Francis of Assisi, Saint
Frank, Anne
Frankl, Viktor
Franklin, Benjamin
Freedman, Ruth P.
Fried, Erich
Friedman, Dr. Martha
Fromm, Erich
Frost, Robert
Fuller, Buckminster
Fuller, Thomas
Fry, Christopher
Gad, The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
Gaertner, Johannes A.
Galer, Don
Galilei, Galileo
Gandhi, Indira
Gandhi, Mahatma
Gardner, John W.
Gauguin, Paul
Gautier, Théophile
Gawain, Shakti
Gegax, Tom
Ghosananda, Maha
Gibran, Kahlil
Gide, André
Gilchrist, Ellen
Glidewell, Jan (1944-2013). American writer. Twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, Glidewell, a longtime columnist for the St. Petersburg Times, retired in 2003 after thirty-seven years in the newspaper business. Known for his offbeat wit and liberal views, Glidewell describes himself thusly: “High school dropout, nudist, Buddhist, Deadhead. Former marine (recovered).”
Gissing, George
Gladwell, Malcolm
Glasow, Arnold H. (1905-1998). American author and humorist. A regular contributor to the humor sections of Reader’s Digest, he published his first book, Glasow’s Gloombusters, at the age of ninety-two.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
Golas, Thaddeus
Goldsmith, Joel
Goldstein, Dr. Kurt
Gordon, Charles
Gracian, Baltasar
Graham, Sheila
Grayson, David
Greene, Vivian
Greer, Germaine
Grenfell, Wilfred
Grieco, Mary Hayes
Griggs, Edward H.
Grimes, Martha
Gross, Helga Bergold
Guibert, Joseph de
Guillemets, Terri (1973- ). American “quotation anthologist” who founded The Quote Garden website in 1998. In her own words: With a personal, heartfelt approach she shares inspiration and love of words with the world, “spreading quotatious joy” as she calls it. A curmudgeonesque optimist whose inner child will never grow up, she also enjoys nature, photography, cloudgazing, and family.
Guiterman, Arthur
Gurdjieff, Georges Ivanovich
Guthrie, Arlo
Guyton, Melissa (1985-). Surgical nurse in Columbus, Georgia.
Gyanamata, Sri
Hafiz
Hallesby, Ole
Hahn, Duane Alan
Hamilton, Edith
Hammarskjöld, Dag
Hanh, Thich Nhat
Hanshan Deqing (1546–1623). A leading Buddhist monk of Ming Dynasty China who widely propagated the teachings of Chán and Pure Land Buddhism.
Hare, Julius Charles
Harris, Bill (1951- ). President and Director of Beaverton, Oregon-based Centerpointe Research Institute, which offers programs for personal growth, mind development, and relaxation. A student of ancient and modern research into the nature of the mind, Harris has been involved in personal development for over thirty-five years as a seeker, teacher, public speaker, author, musician, composer, therapist, workshop leader, and business owner.
Hart, Ken
Harwig, Kathryn
Havel, Vaclav
Hawkins, Dr. David R.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel
Hay, Louise
Hazlitt, William
Hebbel, Friedrich
Hedge, Dr. H. F. The only clue I have to his identity is that an 1888 book identified him as a doctor
Hellman, Lillian
Hemingway, Ernest
Henry, Matthew
Henry, Philip
Herbert, George
Heschel, Rabbi Abraham J.
Hesse, Hermann
Hickok, Eliza M.
Hicks, Esther
High Eagle
HIghlander: The Series
Hill, Napoleon
Hillel, Rabbi
Hinckley, Gordon B.
Hodgkin, Thomas
Hoelscher, Russ von
Hoffer, Eric
Holland, Isabelle
Holland, Josiah Gilbert
Holmes, Ernest
Holmes, John Andrew
Holmes, Oliver Wendell
Holton, Gerald
Horace
Houston, Charles
Howard, Vernon
Howe, Edgar Watson
Hubbard, Elbert
Hughes, Charles Evans
Hughes, Langston
Hugo, Victor (1802-85), French poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist, and exponent of the Romantic movement in France. Hugo’s best known works are the novels Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) and Les Miserables (1862).
Hui Neng
Humboldt, Wilhelm von
Hunt, Leigh
Huntley, Rev. Karyl
Huxley, Aldous
Ibsen, Henrik
I Ching
Igjugarjuk. Shaman of a Caribou Eskimo (Inuit) tribe in Northern Canada. Igjugarjuk lived in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Ignatius of Loyola, Saint
Ingersoll, Robert G.
Isocrates
Jaffe, Dr. Ibrahim
James, John Angell
James, P. D.
James, William (1842-1910). Often called “the father of American psychology,” James was a pioneering psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a physician. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism.
Jamison, Kaleel
Jampolsky, Gerald
Jankélévitch, Vladimir
Jay, John
Jefferies, Richard
Jefferson, Thomas
Jerome, Saint
Ji Aoi Isshi (13th century). Japanese Zen master.
Joan of Arc
Jodorowsky, Alejandro
John of Ruysbroeck
John of the Cross, Saint
Johnson, Samuel (1709-1784), Often referred to as Dr. Johnson, he was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor, and lexicographer.
Johnson, Toby
Jones, Charlie “Tremendous”
Jong, Erica
Jordan, David Star
Joyce, James
Julian of Norwich
Jung, Carl
Kabat-Zinn, Jon
Kabat-Zinn, Myla
Kabir
Kafka, Franz
Kant, Immanuel
Karr, Alphonse
Katha Upanishad, The
Katie, Byron
Kaye, Danny
Kazantzakis, Nikos
Keeley, James (1974- ). American author of Walking with God, spiritual teacher, and principal partner in Oregon-based LionHeart Consulting. He works to help all people “experience the ridiculously and unbelievabley happy life that comes from living in harmony with the Divine.”
Keen, Sam
Keith, Kent M.
Keller, Helen
Kelley, Emma Dunham
Kempis, Thomas à
Kennedy, Robert F.
Kent, Corita
Key, Ellen
Keyes, Jr., Ken
Khan, Hazrat Inayat (1882-1927). Indian spiritual teacher and an exemplar of Universal Sufism, a universalist spiritual movement he founded while traveling n the West.
Khan, Vilayat Inayat (1916-2004). The eldest son of Sufi Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan, head of the Sufi Order International. In 1975 he founded the Abode of the Message, which continues to serve as the central residential community of the Sufi Order International, a conference and retreat center, and a center of esoteric study.
Kierkegaard, Søren
King, Jr., Martin Luther
Kingsolver, Barbara
Kleiser, Grenville
Klemme, E. J. Professor of Psychology and Education at State Normal School in Ellensburg, Washington, in the early part of the twentieth century.
Kor, Eva (1934- ). Born in the village of Portz, Romania, Eva and her twin sister, Miriam, were imprisoned at the Auschwitz death camp, where they were subjected to horrific medical experiments performed by Dr. Josef Mengele. In 1995, she founded the CANDLES Holocaust Museum in Terra Haute, Indiana. CANDLES is an acronym for Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiments Survivors.
Krishna Das
Krishnamurti, Jiddu
Krutch, Joseph Wood
Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth
Kushner, Rabbi Harold
Kybalion, The
La Bruyère, Jean de
La Fontaine, Jean de
Lagemann, John Kord
Lake, John G.
L’Amour, Louis
Langbridge, Frederick
Langya
Lao Tzu
La Rochefoucauld, François de
Laubauch, Frank
Lauretta, Sister Mary
Lavater, Johann Kaspar
Law, William
Lawrence, D. H.
Leadbeater, C. W.
Lec, Stanislaw Jerzy
Lee, Danielle (1975- ). Canadian author.
Lees, Lena
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Leibniz, Gottfried
Leighton, Robert
L’Engle, Madeleine
Lennon, John
Leonard, Cicero
Leonardo da Vinci
Levenson, Lester
Levine, Mark
Levine, Stephen
Levinger, George (1927- ). American author of several books on relationships. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Lewis, C. S.
Lichtenberg, Georg C.
Liddell, Eric
Liebman, Joshua Loth
Lincoln, Abraham
Lind, Jenny
Lindbergh, Anne Morrow
Linkletter, Art
Lin Yutang
Logue, Christopher
London, Jack
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth
Lorde, Audre
Lowell, James Russell
Lowery, Joseph
Luther, John
Mabie, Hamilton Wright
MacArthur, Douglas
Macaulay, Thomas Babington
MacDonald, George
Machado, Antonio
MacLaine, Shirley
MacLaren, Jim
Maclean, J. Keneedy
Macy, Joanna
Maeterlinck, Maurice
Mahabharata
Maharshi, Sri Ramana (1879-1950). Hindu spiritual master.
Mahasaya, Lahiri
Maistre, Joseph de
Maltz, Dr. Maxwell
Mandino, Og
Mann, Horace
Mannes, Marya
Manning, James
Manton, Thomas
Manu Smriti
Marden, Orison Swett
Marston, Ralph
Marty, Martin
Martyr, Peter
Maslow, Abraham
Massey, Gerald
Matousek, Mark
Matsumura, Molleen
Matsuo Basho
Mau, Bruce
Maudsley, Henry
Maugham, W. Somerset
Maxwell, Elaine
May, Rollo
McCormick, Elsie
McCourt, Malachy
McGill, Bryant H.
McLaughlin, Mignon
Meir, Golda
Melmoth, William
Mello, Anthony de
Melvill, Henry
Menninger, Dr. Karl
Meredith, Don
Meredith, George
Merton, Thomas
Middlemas, Crystal
Midrash Tanhama
Milarepa
Miller, Alice
Miller, Henry
Miller, Jr., Walter M.
Millman, Dan
Milton, John
Mishkat al-Masabih. An expanded version of by Al-Baghawi’s Masabih al-Sunnah byMuḥammad ibn ʻAbd Allāh Khatib Al-Tabrizi. Khatib Al-Tabrizi rendered this version of the original text more accessible to those not having an advanced knowledge of the science of hadith. It contains between 4434 and 5945 hadith, divided into 29 books, and is considered by Sunni scholars an important writing. The term hadith is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Mizuta Masahide
Moffitt, Phillip
Monroe, Anne Shannon
Montagu, Ashley
Montagu, Mary
Montaigne, Michel de
Moore, Hannah
Moore, Henry
Moore, Mary Tyler
Moore, Thomas
Morihei Ueshiba
Morris, Lewis
Morris, William
Morrison-Reed, Mark
Morrissey, Father Paul (c. 1939- ) American author of Let Someone Hold You, a book about his experiences as a hospice priest in New York City.
Mortman, Doris
Moses, Yula
Moss, Richard. Living American author of six books on transformation, self-healing, and the art of conscious living, including The I That Is We: Awakening to Higher Energies Through Unconditional Love and Inside-Out Healing: Transforming Your Life Through the Power of Presence. More than thirty years ago, he left the practice of medicine after a life-changing realization to dedicate his life to help others realize their multidimensional nature and achieve self-mastery. His teaching bridges science, psychology, energy medicine, and spiritual/awareness practices. He is most well known for the deep experiential nature of his work where people learn holistically with their mind, body, and feelings.
Mother Teresa
Mundaka Upanishad, The
Murray, W. H.
Muso Kokushi (1275-1351). The most famous monk of his time, he was not only a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk, he was also a calligraphist, poet, and garden designer.
Muste, A. J.
Myss, Caroline
Nachman of Breslov, Rebbe
Nagler, Michael N.
Naimy, Mikhail
Nair, Keshavan
Naropa Institute
Naylor, Gloria
Nehru, Jawaharlal
Newcomb, Charles B.
Newton, Isaac
Newton, Joseph Fort
Nicholas, David
Nietzsche, Friedrich
Nin, Anaïs
Ning Lao T’ai-t’ ai
Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981). Born Maruti Sivrampant Kambli on a small South Indian farm, he was the owner of Bombay shops that sold household goods and bidis (cigarettes hand-rolled in leaves). A disciple of Sri Siddharamesvar Maharaj, Nisargadatta was given a new name upon attaining realization. With his direct and minimalistic explanation of non-dualism, Nisargadatta is considered the most prominent teacher of Advaita since Ramana Maharshi. His dialogues with spiritual seekers and devotees were published in 1973 as I Am That: Conversations with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,
Nizer, Louis
Noble, Alex
Norris, Kathleen
Nouwen, Henri
Nowak, Kate
Nowlan, Alden
Nyad, Diana
Oliver, Gary. Living American author of numerous books. Oliver is a psychologist and Executive Director of the Center for Relationship Enrichment in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.
Olmos, Edward Jame
Oppenheim, James
Orloff, Judith
Ornish, Dr. Dean
Osho
Osteen, Joel (1963- ). American author, televangelist, and senior pastor of Lakewood church in Houston, Texas, a church that Forbes has called the largest and fastest growing congregation in America. Osteen is known for sharing positive messages of hope and encouragement. His ministry reaches over seven million broadcast media viewers weekly in over one hundred countries.
Overton, Patrick
Ovid
Packer, Boyd K.
Packer, Duane
Paddison, Sara
Paine, Thomas
Pargeter, Edith
Parker, Theodore
Parks, Gordon
Parrish, Leslie
Parrish, Mary
Parton, Dolly
Pascal, Blaise
Patanjali
Patent, Arnold
Paton, Alan
Patrick, John
Paul, Stephen C.
Pavese, Cesare
Peace Pilgrim
Peale, Norman Vincent
Pearce, Joseph Chilton
Pearson, Carol
Peck, M. Scott
Penn, Jack
Penney, Alexandria
Perret, Gene
Perry, Ted
Peter, Laurence J.
Petit-Senn, John
Phillpotts, Eden
Picasso, Pablo
Pickford, Mary
Piercy, Marge (1936- ).
Pike, Albert
Pinchback, P. B. S.
Pinero, Arthur Wing
Pirsig, Robert M.
Plato
Poe, Edgar Allan
Pollan and Mark Levine, Stephen M.
Pope, Alexander
Porchia, Antonio
Porteus, Beilby
Powell, John
Prather, Hugh
Preston, Margaret Junkin
Priestly, J. B.
Pritchard, Michael
Proust, Marcel
Purkey, William (1929- ). American author and professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is the developer of a communication model called “Invitational Education” and co-founder with Betty Siegel of the International Alliance for Invitational Education.
Quarles, Francis
Rader, Lyell
Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli
Rama, Swami
Ramakrishna, Sri
Ram Dass
Rank, Otto
Rapin, Paul de
Ravn, Karen. Living American writer; former writer for Hallmark Cards and former columnist for the Monterey County Herald in Monterey, California.
Rawat, Prem (Maharaji)
Ray, Marie Beynon
Reade, Charles
Redpath, Alan
Reichenbach, Hans
Reik, Theodor
Remen, Dr. Rachel Naomi
Retz, Cardinal de
Richards, Mary Caroline
Richter, Johann
Rig Veda
Rilke, Rainer Maria
Robbins, Anthony
Robbins, Tom
Roberts, Jane (Seth)
Robertson, Frederick William
Robinson, Edwin Arlington
Roche, Arthur Somers
Rodegast, Pat (Emmanuel)
Rogers, Will
Rohn, Jim
Roman, Sanaya
Roosevelt, Eleanor
Roosevelt, Theodore
Rose, Richard
Ross, Joseph
Rossetti, Christina
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques
Roy, Arundhati
Rubietta, Jane. Living American author and inspirational, ecumenical women’s speaker. Her books include Come Along: The Journey into a More Intimate Faith, Come Closer: A Call to Life, Love, and Breakfast on the Beach, and Grace Points: Growth and Guidance in Times of Change.
Rubin, Theodore Isaac
Rufus, Quintus Curtius
Ruiz, Don Miguel
Rumi
Runbeck, Margaret Lee
Ruskin, John
Russell, Bertrand
Sablé, Madame de
Safire, William
Sahtouris, Elisabet
Sai Baba, Sri Sathya
Sainte-Beuve, Charles Augustin
Saint-Exupery, Antoine de
Sales, Saint Francois de
Salk, Jonas
Samples, Bob
Sand, George
Sarton, May (1912-1995). Pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton, an American poet, novelist, and memoirist.
Schaar, John
Schaef, Anne Wilson
Schnell, Donald
Schopenhauer, Arthur
Schreiner, Olive
Schuller, Robert
Schulweis, Rabbi Harold M. (1925- ). One of the best-known pulpit rabbis in America, Schulweis has been the spiritual leader at Temple Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California, since 1970. He is the Founding Chairman of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, an organization that identifies and offers grants to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews threatened by the agents of Nazi savagery. He is also the Founder of Jewish World Watch, a synagogue-based organization dedicated to raising both awareness and funds to protest the genocide in Darfur, and bringing vital assistance to the victims of its unrest. He is the author of numerous books, including Conscience: The Duty to Obey and the Duty to Disobey.
Schweitzer, Albert
Scriver, Christian
Seibert, Jeff
Selye, Hans
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus (c. 3 BCE–65 AD). Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero. While he was later forced to commit suicide for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to assassinate Nero, he may have been innocent.
Setter, Maurice
Sexton, Anne
Shafak, Elif (1971- ). Turkish author, columnist, speaker, and academic. Shafak, Turkeys bestselling female writer
Shah, Idries
Shain, Merle
Shakespeare, William
Shantideva
Shaw, George Bernard
Sheehan, Dr. George
Sheehy, Gail
Sheen, Fulton J.
Shelley, Percy Bysshe
Shinn, Florence Scovel
Shinseki, General Eric
Shockley, William
Shore, Dinah
Shunryu Suzuki
Siegel, Dr. Bernie
Sills, Beverly
Simpson, Alan
Smedes, Lewis B.
Smiles, Samuel
Smith, Betty
Smith, Huston
Smith, Logan Pearsall
Smith, Patti
Socrates
Soloman, Andrew
Solomon, Beverly. American creative director for musee-solomon, the art and design business she runs with her husband, artist Pablo Solomon, located in Lampasas, Texas.
Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr
Soong May-ling
Soros, George
Spangler, David
Spinoza, Baruch de (1632-1677). Dutch philosopher and theologian whose magnum opus, Ethics, was published posthumously.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon
Staël, Madame de
Stanley, Bessie Anderson
Stauffer, Dane (1959- ). American actor, singer, and writer.
Stelliger, Meriel
Stevens, Barry
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Stoppard, Tom
Stowe, Harriet Beecher
Steindl-Rast, David
Street, D. M.
Swedenborg, Emanuel
Sweetland, Ben
Swetchine, Madame
Swift, Jonathan
Swindoll, Charles R.
Szent-Gyorgyi, Albert
Tagore, Rabindranath
Taisen Deshimaru
T’ai -shang Kan-ying P’ien
Tae Yun Kim, Dr.
Talmud, The
Taylor, Rev. Jeremy
Taylor, Susan L.
Teasdale, Sara
Teillhard de Chardin, Pierre
Tempelsman, Cathy Rindner
Temple, William
ten Boom, Corrie
Teney, Emmanuel
Tennyson, Alfred, Lord
Teresa of Avila, Saint
Thérèse of Lisieux, Saint
Thackeray, William Makepeace
Thompson, Francis Joseph
Thoreau, Henry David
Thurber, James
Thurman, Howard
Tillich, Paul
Tolle, Eckhart
Tolstoy, Leo
Tomlinson, Henry M.
Tournier, Paul
Trent, Tererai
Trine, Ralph Waldo
Troward, Thomas
Trungpa, Chögyam
Turner, Dale
Tutu, Desmond
Twain, Mark
Tyler, William Seymour
Unamuno, Miguel de
Urantia Book, The
Ustinov, Peter (1921-2004). British actor, writer, director. A noted wit and raconteur, Ustinov was, for much of his career, a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits, as well as a respected intellectual and diplomat.
Vail, Theodore Newton
Valery, Paul
Van Buren, Abigail
van der Leeuw, Johannes Jacobus
van Dyke, Henry
van Gogh, Vincent
Vanier, Jean
Vianney, Saint John
Virtue, Doreen
Viscott, David
Vivekananda, Swami
Voltaire
von Beltz, Heidi
Wabasha
Waitley, Denis
Walsch, Neale Donald
Walters, Dottie
Walton, Izaak
Walton, William H.
Ward, William Arthur
Warner, Charles Dudley
Washington, Booker T.
Wasserman, Dale
Watson, Rev. John
Watts, Alan
Wayne, John
Webbe, Gale
Weil, Simone
Wells, H. G.
Welshons, John E.
Wesley, John
West, Charles C.
West, Jessamyn
West, Meredith
Westheimer, Dr. Ruth
Wharton, Edith
White, J. Gustav
White Eagle
Whitman, Walt
Wholey, Dennis
Wieder, Marcia
Wiederkehr, Sister Macrina (1939- ). American author, spiritual guide, and Benedictine monastic of St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Drawing from her Benedictine spirituality, Wiederkehr attempts to lead seekers on a contemplative path away from wordiness, into the space between the words. She encourages her readers and retreatants into deep listening in order to tap into the wealth of their own creativity. Wiederkehr is the author of eight popular books on prayer and spirituality, including Seasons of Your Heart: Prayers and Reflections, Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day, and Abide: Keeping Vigil with the Word of God.
Wilbur, Richard
Wilcox, Ella Wheeler
Wilde, Oscar
Wilder, Thornton
Williams, Angel Kyodo
Williams, Fritz
Williamson, Marianne
Wilson, Edmund
Winter, Barbara J. Living American author, entrepreneur, and self-employment advocate, best known for her book, Making a Living Without a Job, and her newsletter, Joyfully Jobless.
Wittgenstein, Ludwig
Wooden, John
Wordsworth, William
Wu Men Hui-k’ai
Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Yancey, Philip
Yasutani Hakuun
Yeats, William Butler
Yglesias, Helen
Yogananda, Paramahansa
Yukteswar, Swami Sri
Yung-chia Ta-shih
Zabor, Rafi
Zoglio, Suzanne
Zukav, Gary
Zusya, Rabbi
Here is a two-minute video introduction to Through God’s Eyes.
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THE INTRODUCTION FROM THE BOOK
ENDORSEMENTS FROM AUTHORS AND THOUGHT LEADERS
BIOS OF PEOPLE QUOTED IN THE BOOK
SOURCES OF QUOTES USED IN THE BOOK
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MY FIRST BOOK READING FOR “THROUGH GOD’S EYES”
A WONDERFUL NIGHT AT KATHRYN HARWIG’S INTUITIVE FORUM
“THROUGH GOD’S EYES”—NANCY’S PLACE
ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA
Through God’s Eyes: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Troubled World, is a road map for living a more peaceful, beautiful life. It’s the one book that explains how dozens of spiritual principles interact, how to weave them together into a cohesive worldview, and how to practically apply this spiritual wisdom to daily life.
Who will benefit from reading Through God’s Eyes?
Anyone who is on a spiritual path, or wants to be.
Anyone who loves life, or wants to learn how to.
Anyone who is happy, or wants to be happier.
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SEE EVERY MOMENT AS A GIFT
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Phil’s eBook, The Logic of Living a Spiritual Life: Supporting a Life of Faith Through Logic and Reason, is now available for 99 cents.
Order it at GodIsLogical.com.
In this eBook, you’ll find answers to questions like:
• What is the cornerstone of a spiritual life, and why?
• What is the secret to liberating yourself from other people’s judgments and expectations?
• How do you reconcile the “free will vs. Divine Will” conundrum?
• Why is there an exception to “Everything happens for a reason”?
Those who worship logic instead of God are only half right. Not only is it logical to believe in God and to live a faith-based life, the existence of a loving, benevolent God that governs all creation is perhaps the only systematic worldview that explains every aspect of life.
Schedule a Mastery Mentoring phone session with Phil to learn how to apply principles of spiritual living more effortlessly and effectively. Priced affordably! Click here to e-mail Phil for details.
Phil is also the author of Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, a collection of 45 inspiring, life-changing stories from prominent authors and thought leaders he interviewed. The roster of storytellers includes Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Neale Donald Walsch, Caroline Myss, Larry Dossey, Rachel Naomi Remen, Bernie Siegel, Dean Ornish, and Christiane Northrup. Sixty Seconds has been translated into four languages: Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Reading this book is like spending a few minutes face to face with each of the contributors and listening to their personal stories.
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