Brainy Thoughts

“A diamond is a piece of coal that stuck to the job.”

Thomas A. Edison

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847, October 18, 1931)

American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life in the 20th century. Dubbed “The Wizard of Menlo Park” by a newspaper reporter, he was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production to the process of invention, and can therefore be credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory. Some of the inventions credited to him were not completely original, but improvements of earlier inventions, or were actually created by his numerous employees working under his direction. Nevertheless, Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,097 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

Someone said to Voltaire, “Life is hard.” Voltaire replied, “Compared to what?”

François-Marie Arouet (21 November 1694, 30 May 1778), better known by the pen name Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, essayist, deist and philosopher.

Voltaire is known for his sharp wit, philosophical writings, and defense of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and the right to a fair trial. He was an outspoken supporter of social reform despite strict censorship laws in France and harsh penalties for those who broke them. A satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize Church dogma and the French institutions of his day. Voltaire is considered one of the most influential figures of his time.

“Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.”

Author Unknown

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela OM, CC, AC, QC (born July 18, 1918)

First President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative democratic elections. Before his presidency he was a prominent anti-apartheid activist who, while imprisoned for 27 years, was involved in the planning of underground armed resistance activities. The armed struggle was, for Mandela, a last resort; he remained steadfastly committed to non-violence. Through his 27-year imprisonment, much of it spent in a cell on Robben Island, Mandela became the most widely-known figure in the struggle against South African apartheid. Although the apartheid regime and nations sympathetic to it considered him and the ANC to be terrorists, the armed struggle was an integral part of the overall campaign against apartheid. The switch in policy to that of reconciliation, which Mandela pursued upon his release in 1990, facilitated a peaceful transition to fully-representative democracy in South Africa.

Having received over a hundred awards over four decades, Mandela is currently a celebrated elder statesman who continues to voice his opinion on topical issues. In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela’s clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela. Many South Africans also refer to him reverently as ‘mkhulu’ (grandfather).

“Most men stumble over great discoveries. But most then pick themselves up and walk away.”

Sir Winston Churchill (30 November 1874, 24 January 1965)

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Well known orator, strategist, soldier, author and politician, Churchill won the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature for his many books on English and world history. Sir Winston Churchill was voted the Greatest-ever Briton in the 2002 BBC poll the 100 Greatest Britons.

“We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse”

Author Unknown